The Snow Queen and the FireHeart
by LeGrande Grover
Summary: Just before the MidWinters Ball, Anna is kidnapped and it's up to Elsa and Kristoff to go after her. Their journey will take them beyond Arendelle's borders to the kingdom of Fria, where deep within the volcano rests the FireHeart, and the will of a cruel man.
1. MidWinters Ball

**I**

MidWinters Ball

The kingdom of Arendelle stood firmly in the grip of an icy winter, with the endlessly sterile sheets of white stretched out over the land, broken only by the dark, frigid waters of the fjord. Just before MidWinter, the denizens of the kingdom were planning to celebrate the longest night by filling the castle with light, laughter and cheer. It was the time of year when the sun barely rose in the sky and the night seemed to last forever, but despite the absence of sunlight, the town was alive with preparations for one of Arendelle's oldest traditions; the MidWinters Ball.

In spite of its ancient heritage, it had been many years since the castle had been the center of the celebration, with that tragic past still spoken carefully against the chilly air, though now only as a memory to be forgotten as the people looked forward to their future under the lauded rule of their queen, Elsa. There would be a grand feast and lots of music, dancing and cheer. The formal ball was a masked affair, archaically to scare away the spirits that kept the night long and to bring the sun back to the kingdom. Tradition and superstition dominated their preparations, some blatant and bold in the instruction of the younger generations, with others unspoken but revered.

In the heart of the town, Princess Anna had been running around as it transformed around her, overwhelmed with excitement at being able to once more join the celebrations that existed outside the castle walls. Her heart was light and a melody was at her lips as she twirled among the workers, trying to absorb every joyful sensation of the day. For years, she had watched the town filled with songs and celebration, sometimes dancing alone in front of the windows to fight the loneliness born from locked doors and secrets. Those days had fallen behind her as the castle doors were finally opened and she was eager to celebrate one of the most cherished traditions in the kingdom.

"Look at all of the decorations! I can't believe they found flowers at this time of year. Ooo, grilled mackerel!" she cheered.

Others sang around her as they worked, turning the entire town into a symphony of happiness, spurring her on in her own part in the homage to Arendelle's prosperity.

As she skipped along to the lively mood, she suddenly could hear the sound of a distant flute, injecting a lonely melody that stood out against the pulsing brightness of the town's song. The disparity between the two stalled her for a moment, making her look around for its source. While the melancholic tune rattled her embrace of the festivities, it had its own beauty and tale, something that made her want to find out where it was coming from, though she was unable to find anyone calling such gray tones into the air.

"Isn't it great? This will be the best party I've ever been to!" Olaf remarked. Oblivious to the sedated song and tagging along with her, he had been in awe at the festivities, even with his beloved summer so far away.

His reply made her lose the distant melody of the flute, and as she could no longer hear its decadent whine, she shrugged and looked down to him with a smirk.

"How many parties have you been to before?" she asked.

"None. Why?" Olaf replied.

She snickered and felt recharged by the atmosphere, jumping up to a lantern pole. "You're right. This _will _be the best party ever. The last one had some hiccups and kind of a lot of snow, but this time I'm sure everyone will have a great time. Especially Elsa," she said, imagining that even though her sister had been busy lately, she was secretly just as excited about the celebrations. Hopping down, she smiled as her boots spun smoothly across the frozen cobblestones, her toe kicking through a careless drift of white powder.

"I mean, we've already got the snow."

Olaf was busy rummaging through a half-built stall nearby. Many colored bottles clanked together loudly as he tossed them between his twiggy fingers. "Oh oh! Look, Anna! I have the greatest idea," he called, finding a small sheet of paper and rolling it into a cone, "We can put a scoop of snow in a paper cone, drip some of this sweet juice on it!"

The snowman presented the treat to her, which was simple but colorful and had a sweet, seductive smell. When she took a bite, it was sweet and brought a wide smile across her face.

"It's delicious, Olaf. And it's just snow in a paper cone," she remarked.

"I call it Olaf's Super-Sweet Frozen Treat," he said proudly.

"Why don't you give it a simpler name? Like, I dunno, a snow cone?" she suggested.

Olaf didn't seem impressed. "Now that's just weird," he replied.

Anna smirked at his cool response and was about to defend her suggestion when she happened to catch a glance of her sister, Queen Elsa, as she stood on the docks near the anchored ships in the fjord. As always, she was a stark contrast to the world around her, even in winter. Where everyone wore thick fur coats and heavy boots, Elsa still wore an elegant blue dress that exposed her shoulders to the elements and her bright, platinum blonde hair seemed to glow even in the dim light of MidWinter. Anna started to trot over to her when she caught wind of the disagreement that was happening between the tall officer next to her and one of the ship captains, a flamboyantly dressed man whose attention was more on the radiant queen than the matter at hand.

At a distance, Anna could only see how angry the royal officer was, and while Elsa appeared calm, she obviously shared in his mood. The princess could tell it was no time to approach them, so she lingered behind some crates and strained to listen, munching mindlessly on Olaf's treat.

"Your Highness, surely one ship makes no difference in your big, impressive harbor. My men have sailed a thousand moonless nights through waters far more treacherous than these. If you'd just grant my request to disembark, I'd no longer be a burden on your exquisite shoulders," the captain cooed in a heavy accent, his eyes laid lustfully across her bare skin.

Elsa remained cool, but the officer next to her was barely holding his anger back. "Impudent cur. Your request has been denied seven times already. To have the queen come down personally is more than a musty seadog like you deserves. Your ship may not depart until after…"

The captain suddenly shot him a glance, obviously not interested in the diversion while the infamous Snow Queen was standing right before him. "You interrupt me, sir, for I am speaking to your queen, not you. I bid you to bite your wagging tongue and allow this vision of elegance and beauty to speak on her own behalf," he spat.

The officer fumed, but Elsa's sudden step forward restrained him. "The harbor is closed until the end of MidWinter by tradition. You're welcome to join in the celebration with your crew, and when the sun once more touches the Northern Tower, you may depart," she remarked dryly.

"Your Highness, surely there is some kind of compromise that we…" he began, but her cold glance silenced him. As innocuous as she appeared, there was something behind her eyes and the air seemed to chill with her mood. Something deep inside was warning him not to go too far in his behavior.

"After MidWinter," she repeated.

With the matter closed, she turned and began to walk away, leaving the captain breathing puffs of vapor and wondering just how true the rumors were about her powers. The notoriety of the Snow Queen had stretched far outside of Arendelle's borders, propelling varying tales of viciousness and cruelty like tidal waves to the lands beyond. If she had frozen an entire kingdom, he didn't want to incur her wrath, though some muddy laughter from the deck of his ship clued him into the attention of his crew. From their perspective, he had just been dressed down by a pretty girl. On a ship where fear kept men in line, such retreat was a dangerous thing.

He also remembered that he had a very good reason to leave soon.

His back stiffening, the captain regained his smug gait and threw his boot onto the mooring post that held his ship, nodding towards the frigid waters with his roguish smile back in full effect. "You may keep your celebrations of night and winter, m'lady. The Southern Seas beckon me, and I am set to go. You may never even know I was here," he called.

The intent to defy her made Elsa stop, her shoulders tight and her posture frigid. At her side, the officer whirled angrily and was going to deal with his insolence, but she slowly raised her hand out to her side, making all that watched her quiet anxiously. With a simple flick of her wrist, a wave of ice surged up from the fjord and devoured the side of his ship, jilting the unimaginably heavy vessel to the side, creaking over wood and moor and reaching all the way to the dock, where even the captain's boot was sealed to the post he arrogantly championed. The spectacle drew the attention of the people around the harbor, a mixture of amazement and fear rippling through the air as the ship finally creaked to a halt, listing and seized.

The arrogant captain shrieked, trying desperately to pry his boot loose from the magical ice before looking to her with terror in his eyes.

Slowly lowering her hand back to its practiced place at her waist, Elsa turned her head cordially. "After MidWinter," she repeated once more, and then headed back towards the castle, leaving even her officer looking after her with a disturbed stare.

Upon getting away from the harbor and the crowds that were gathering there, Elsa tiredly rubbed her temple, trying to cool her temper. More and more, she was feeling like people were going out of their way to irritate her, making these incidents of ice more common than before. The episode with the ship captain was just the latest in a flow that was starting to make the people whisper as she walked past them, though she could barely keep her mind from the man's ugly smile when he had spoken to her. She felt like she needed a warm bath.

"What a pretentious man," she grumbled just as Anna popped out from her hiding place, startling her.

"Wow, Elsa! What was that all about?" her sister asked, a ring of blue on her lips.

Elsa was happy to see her, but her dark mood came back as she looked back towards the frozen ship. Seeing the crew of the ship trying to chip away at her ice with their swords improved her mood slightly, though the reasons behind it made her quiver, and she soon turned her attention to Anna as a way of getting away from that dark feeling. "It's nothing. A ship wanted to leave before MidWinter, so I was _explaining _to him why they couldn't," she replied. Anna nodded slowly, gawking at the ship and the spectacle around it, while her sister continued to avoid the scene, instead looking down at the treat she held. "What is that? And why are your lips blue?"

Anna licked a blue tongue out to try and clean her lips. "Uhm, Olaf's Super-Sweet Frozen Treat? It's really good! Want some?" she replied as she tilted the sweetened snow towards her.

"I named it!" Olaf chimed in with a hop.

Feeling a better mood come over her, Elsa smiled but raised her hands in defense to the offer. "It looks delicious, but no thanks. You enjoy," she declined. Anna shrugged and continued slurping away, while Elsa sighed and looked around at her people preparing for the impending celebration. As the disturbance in the harbor faded, seeing the town bustling with activity warmed her heart, even as it was framed by the ice and snow of the winter, two things that had terrified her for so long. "It's so nice to hear everyone singing and working to make MidWinter happen. So many times I listened to them from the castle, wanting to join them."

"It feels like a dream come true," she added softly.

Anna was trying to wipe the color from her lips with her sleeve, but shared in her sister's sentiment with a smile. "I know. It'll be so much fun to have the Ball in the castle again," she agreed as they watched the town hum around them.

"Oh!" Anna suddenly barked, remembering why she had been looking for her sister, "Have you found a mask for the Masquerade yet? I found a matching set for us."

Elsa loved the idea, but shook her head with a sad smile. "The queen doesn't wear a mask. It's tradition," she explained with a sigh, "You'll have to wear one for the both of us."

"Oh, come on. You're the queen and everything. Just change the tradition. It'll be fun," Anna suggested.

Elsa frowned. "No, we must hold to our traditions. The queen must be unmasked before her people," she explained, though she didn't understand it at all.

It was just the way things were done.

Or so she was told.

Anna frowned as well, wishing that lately she could see more of the carefree Elsa that wasn't bound by the burdens of the throne. Quietly, she wanted to find a way to help her sister more.

"Hey Elsa! What do you think of my mask?" Olaf asked.

When they looked down, the snowman had a pale turnip shriveled by months of winter storage in place of his carrot. It was in backwards. His appearance made the sisters share a much-needed laugh. The air seemed to warm, even against the winter wind, and Elsa continued to feel better in the presence of those she loved. She was eager to leave behind the heavy atmosphere of her royal commitments.

"So, I haven't seen much of Kristoff these days. Are you guys having little fight again?" she teased playfully.

At the subject, Anna groaned and dramatically threw her arm against the nearest lantern pole, trying to mine as much sympathy as she could, "You're not the only one who hasn't seen much of him. I don't know what that man is thinking. With MidWinter right around the corner, he decides to go get a load of ice from the high mountains," she sighed, then shot Elsa a defensive glance, "And no, that doesn't mean we're _having a little fight again_."

Elsa smirked. "He went to go get ice. For us. In the middle of winter. Ice."

Anna wasn't lost on her point, though she didn't want it spelled out to her in such a snarky tone. "Yeah, well, maybe he has some super-special ice that not even you can't make. Did you even think of that?" she replied petulantly.

"You're fighting," Elsa quipped.

"No, we're not. We just happen to not totally agree on a lot of things, like _not _going to get ice in the middle of winter right before a super-important ball," Anna countered.

"That's called fighting."

Anna ruffled at her own argument. "Uhm no, it's not. Fighting over something like why he hasn't even breathed a word about getting married would be fighting, but since we're obviously _not _fighting over why he hasn't even breathed a word about getting married, we're_ obviously _not fighting," she fumed.

Elsa sighed, losing her playful edge. Her feelings on Anna getting married had come a long way from the disastrous incident with Hans. She knew that she loved Kristoff and that he loved her back, but also that he was also a very good man, honorable and truehearted. There were many reasons why she was satisfied with them being together, even if a part of her was also sad for it. It was a lonely thought to let go of her beloved sister. "You can't rush this, Anna. Marriage isn't some casual engagement you make on a whim and you know that more than anyone. Kristoff will come to you in his own time, and at his own pace. You have to be patient," she counseled wisely, as sister and as queen.

Anna wasn't known for her patience and folded her arms, thinking hard about her advice. "Right. Be patient. Be patient. I'm sure he'll come back just in time, dashingly entering the Ball on his…reindeer, wearing a handsome mask, and propose to me in front of everyone. Yeah! I bet that's his plan. Seems perfectly reasonable."

Elsa stared incredulously and her brows rose at the very image of it.

"Is she talking about the same Kristoff I know? Because that guy would so not do something like that," Olaf remarked to Elsa on the side.

Anna knew the idea was unreal, but her heart was searching for something her head already knew, and she had a very stubborn heart. "Well, then maybe I'll be the one who asks him to marry me. That'll work, won't it? Of course it will. I don't have a ring or anything, or maybe he still gives me a ring. Does that mean he has to wear the dress? No, we'll figure out the details afterwards. Let me think," she rattled on, putting her gloved hand to her forehead in thought.

While Anna was busy baking this new idea, Elsa's brow had furrowed, a strange smile twisting her face. Against the carefree tone of her sister's voice, she suddenly felt agitated again, though she couldn't exactly explain why.

"Wait a minute, Anna. Slow down. You can't be the one that proposes," she stated, half-laughing at the absurd idea.

Anna stopped mid-sentence and looked at her in confusion. "What? Why not?" she asked.

Elsa winced. "Why not? Because…because that's not how it's supposed to happen. Kristoff needs to propose to you, not the other way around. It's how the tradition goes," she explained, though the expression on her face showed she didn't really understand the reasons either.

"It's how the tradition goes? Why does that matter? I know Kristoff wants to marry me, and maybe he isn't the type that knows how to ride in a swoop a girl off her feet, but why does that mean I have to sit and wait?" Anna replied, feeling oddly heated by her sister's cold and familiar reaction.

"If it's the right person, shouldn't that be enough?"

Elsa hesitated. "Anna, take a moment to think about what you're suggesting. Certain things have to be done certain ways. For you to ask him is…is…" she stuttered with an unsure look on her face, "It just isn't done that way."

Anna felt even more defensive and her face collapsed in anger. "I don't care about how it's done, and I thought we were past this. Who says a girl can't ask the man she loves to marry her?" she argued.

"I do," Elsa replied in a sudden heavy voice, her hands gnashed sternly across her waist, "You're a princess, and you're being unreasonable about this. Tradition must be..."

"Do you care about tradition more than me?" Anna snapped, her tone sharp enough to make her sister wince, "I thought you'd support me about this. I'm not some lovesick girl grabbing the first guy that comes along! How can you be so coldhearted?"

The word struck Elsa powerfully. It made her think back of when they had been standing in her ice palace and Anna had been desperate to try and reach her, yet her fears had closed off her heart in order to protect everyone, including herself. Just the emotions associated with those memories made her stare at Anna with desperate eyes. "That's enough, Anna," she whispered, aware that their exchange was drawing a crowd but also aware that her voice lacked the potency it had before. She was starting to feel like her old self again. "This isn't the place for this."

Anna went painfully quiet. She could see the panic in her sister and understood instantly that this petty disagreement wasn't worth the words they wielded, but there were other things churning in her that made her more sensitive.

With nothing more than a whimper, she suddenly turned and fled towards the castle, leaving Elsa surprised as she looked after her, raising a hand out but not taking a step to follow. It was a strange outcome. She didn't care how they got married as long as they were happy, but she also felt she could never allow such an unorthodox proposal and feared the stern response she would hear from her advisors. The stresses of ruling had been cutting her patience short and bringing out more of her darker impulses, especially when things didn't go how she wanted them to, making her feel like she wasn't entirely in control of her destiny. More and more, she felt a current of wills, with hers being strangled by others and fostering the desire to press against them with her magic.

Like it had happened with the ship.

"Uhm, do you think she'll be okay?" Olaf asked, looking after Anna with concern.

His worried voice startled Elsa from her mood and she tried to regain her composure. Regally, she knit her hands in front of her waist and put on a show for the spectators, who had been speechless in watching the royal sisters bicker before them. "She'll be fine. She just needs a little time to cool off and see reason," she replied, then headed towards the castle with a practiced pace. While she put on the front for the benefit of the kingdom, her heart was aching and she worried about her sister's mood.

Secretly, she decided to visit Anna later in a more sisterly capacity.

* * *

In her room, Anna had been crying, her cheek lying across her arm, her back curved and her feet toed into the floor. The desk beneath her arm was cold and hard. She didn't know why she was so upset or why Elsa's actions made her so angry. Deep down, her idea had been little more than a silly musing, but when her sister had reacted so coldly, she couldn't control how defensive she felt. She knew the truth of the matter, that Elsa approved of Kristoff and that their marriage was only a matter of time, but that didn't lessen the pain. With his absence and a senseless fight weighing on her heart, the only thing that mattered at the moment were the tears.

"Where are you?" she asked breathlessly, fingering a snow globe Kristoff had given her months ago.

Inside a snowman was surrounded by a flurry of sparkles and white shards, with two small children playing at its base. Each time her finger disturbed the globe the flurry swirled around and reminded her of hard-to-grasp memories of her childhood.

This wasn't how she wanted to spend the days leading up to MidWinter.

Against the silence, a creaking floorboard suddenly alerted her to the presence of someone else in the room and she straightened slightly, wondering if one of the guards had entered without her noticing. She didn't really want to see anyone at the moment, but tried to make herself presentable.

"What is it?" she asked, keeping her face from the door.

"Princess Anna, I presume," said a voice touched by a strange and foreign accent.

Her heart skipping, she wiped her cheeks with a clumsy hand before standing to face the speaker, wondering if some lost visitor from another land had wandered into her room.

Instantly, she could tell this wasn't the case.

It was a figure dressed in heavy brown robes and wearing a strange metal mask on his face. A hood obscured most of his head and his appearance was almost more monster than man, with the mask in particular sending a shiver of anxiety through her. With MidWinter coming, there had been lots of them around so she didn't feel immediately threatened, but something about him made her blood chill. His entire presence didn't seem real.

"Can...can I help you?" she asked, her chest rising nervously.

The man said nothing, but pulled out a long dagger with a black blade. It was like no blade she had ever seen and she was lost in its beauty for a moment. He held the knife at his side and she suddenly gasped, backing into her chair slightly. "I'm guessing you're not here for the ball. Guards? Oh guards..." she said in a frightened voice, her hand grasping for the snow globe behind her back.

There was no answer from the dark hallway beyond.

"You will come with me, Princess. Quietly, I would prefer," the figure commanded.

The command made her gasp, but before she could fully grasp the gravity of her situation, he was approaching her swiftly. Her face was frozen with fear, but she wasn't this kind of princess that simply sat by as some stranger in her room threatened her. She would show him that she wasn't so easily taken. "Yeah well, sorry to disappoint you!" she cried, swinging the snow globe at him with all of her strength. Much to her surprise, his other hand darted from his robes and caught her at the wrist, swinging the bludgeon away and making her smash it down into the desk. His skillful movements took her off guard and she tried to make as much noise as possible, hoping it would alert the guards or anyone else. As she struggled, she wondered how he had gotten into the castle, as it was no small feat to enter the princess's room, though her impressions had to be suppressed as she concentrated on doing everything she could to defend herself and wait for someone to come.

In the terror of the moment, no one came.

Suddenly, the shadow slipped behind her, his hand coming up forcefully at her throat. The sensation of his powerful grip was strange, almost gentle, until her head suddenly became light and her eyes began to drown in a hazy fog. The only sensation she knew that compared to his grip was when the ice had overtaken her body and frozen her solid, though instead of an icy grasp, it felt like fire flowing through her mind. There wasn't even time to tremble.

As quickly as the light fleeing a room after a candle was extinguished, everything around her became dark, with her last thoughts wondering what terrible fate lay in store for her.

Without fanfare, Anna fell to the floor, laying there much like the broken snow globe that was scattered all around. The masked man was motionless, listening for any sign that the disturbance had been noticed, then slowly knelt next to her, his hand once more reaching out to her throat. Silently he lingered, listening to her breathe and feeling her pulse. After taking a moment to check her, something captured his attention and he slowly reached past her to pick up the figures from the snowglobe, turning the finely-crafted porcelain between his fingers. The two children had broken apart, leaving sharp edges and chipped paint. His eyes gazed quietly at it, and a disgusted sigh slipped from the grated maw of his mask.

From this point on, there was no turning back for anyone.

"The task begins."

* * *

Elsa was stomping through the halls of the castle, exhausted from her duties and tired of listening to some of her more long-winded advisors. Some of them treated her as if she were still a child, or worse yet some exotic creature with strange, frightening powers. Only a short time before, her temper had frosted an advisor's quill as he scratched it across some parchment, causing a disturbance in the room. She only partly felt bad about it, and excused herself with a thin apology, though such occurrences had become more common with the young queen. It happened most often when she was fatigued or under stress, but cooler heads usually prevailed, though her apologies were getting thinner and fewer, while her indifference grew. Her most trusted advisor and mentor, Regent Stenson, had followed her out and scolded her, but even his words seemed like nothing more than a nuisance today. The endless drone of tradition and expectation was weighing on her, and the queen that many wanted to see would often lose out to the person she wanted to be, at least in her heart.

Sometimes, she found herself wanting to be high atop the mountain again, released from her responsibilities and free to do as she wished, even if she could never really forget how lonely it had been.

Sighing, she was thinking of Anna. Their fight had bothered her more than expected, and she desperately wanted a shoulder to lean on. To that end, she was intent on reaching her room without being distracted and was happy that she saw no one along the way, not even a guard. The strangeness of that eluded her.

Arriving at Anna's door, she reached up to knock, but hesitated, her knuckles inches from the wood. Immediately, she realized that even though she had been so eager to see her, she wasn't really prepared to talk to her sister. She didn't know if she would back off her harsh stance or continue to uphold tradition. She didn't know if she would be the responsible queen, or the compassionate sister. There were so many questions in her head that she nearly let her hand drop to her side in defeat, but her resolve found strength in the fact that despite her many troubles, Anna would always be there for her.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked loudly on the door, her face twisted with uncertainty.

"Anna? Can we talk?" she asked softly.

There was silence.

It wasn't the response she was hoping for and she visited the many days when their roles had been reversed, with Anna vainly trying to reach her through a locked door instead. The memory made her shiver, as she found it too easy to slip back into the tragedies of the past.

Not wanting to relive them, she knocked once more, a bit louder. She leaned in close, wondering if her sister was actually this mad and that maybe even the best of her intentions would fall helplessly against the authority of the wood. "Anna, please open the door. I understand if you're angry, but if we just talk about this, I'm sure we can figure it out," she said, placing her hand against the door and trying to feel some sort of response. "I still don't know if I can allow you to propose to Kristoff, but it's not because I think you two shouldn't get married. I want you to be happy. It's just there are so many things to consider, and we have to be careful about how we do things. We have so many expectations on us. So many rules."

Strangely, she started wondering who she was talking about.

"Can I come in?" she whispered hopefully.

With only more silence between them, her eyes fell down to the handle and she hesitated, hoping for some kind of acknowledgment, or any response at all. Anna's refusal to answer once more hinted at her stubbornness and Elsa felt slightly angry, but she knew if she let those feelings push back, they would only fight again. She wasn't sure her heart could take that.

To stem her darker feelings, she reached out and pulled the handle down, happy it was unlocked, then pushed the door open to meet her sister.

To her surprise, a cold wind met her from the room and she found it empty and dim. The window was open to the lingering darkness and some of the furniture was turned on its side, showing signs of a struggle. Sparkles of glass and snow glazed the floor and the place reeked of tragedy.

Anna was nowhere to be seen.

"Anna? Anna!" Elsa cried, rushing into the room.

The room didn't answer, keeping its secrets about the fate of the princess of Arendelle. Panting, she turned to call for the guards, but the open window snared her attention. Outside, she found disturbed snow leading down from the roof and towards the harbor, with all torches and lights darkened along the way. The snow was rutted deeply and spoke of a burdened flight, stirring the panic in her chest and making her call out to the ruthless winds. There was no hope in simply incanting her sister's return, and as Elsa stepped backwards into the room, something among the carnage caught her eye. A thick scroll of paper was spread out on the desk, held open by pieces of broken glass and wood. Dark, red words were inscribed ominously to the parchment and she flew to the desk, brushing aside a shattered snowman from the paper and raising the words into the moonlight.

_Snow Queen,_

_I have your sister._

_Come to the Weeping Valley._

_Come alone._


	2. Pacing Through the Snow

**II**

Pacing Through the Snow

A gentle rocking dragged Anna from darkness. She opened her eyes to a room she didn't recognize, littered with ropes and barrels, and musty with the smell of sweat and mead. It felt as if a wet towel was pulling slowly from her head and revealing a foggy world she wasn't accustomed to.

Groaning, she sat up and reached up to feel her sore neck, but found her wrists bound together tightly with rope. It surprised her, but then the memories of the man in her room made her gasp, as if she wanted it only to be a bad dream. The reality of her situation settled over her and she felt her heart racing in her chest, so much she pressed her hands there, as if its roar would betray her to whatever demons lingered nearby. The cabin was dark, but she soon found a figure at the other end of the room, sitting cross-legged on a barrel and silent, like a lifeless gargoyle perched on the trusses of a cathedral. She recognized the mask instantly. It was the man from her room. She froze, hoping he hadn't noticed that she was awake. She couldn't tell if his eyes were open, but judging by his lack of response to her movements, she suspected he might be asleep. Somehow, his silence only heightened her anxiety. She didn't know what he had in store for her, but she didn't want to stick around to find out.

After waiting to see if he had noticed her, she quietly wrenched around on the makeshift bed she had been lying on, which was nothing more than stacked boxes and folded canvas. She stood, though the floor suddenly threw her back onto the bed, much to her surprise. She wrestled with a hanging rope silently while trying not to disturb the demon.

"_Is this a ship?" _she thought as she untangled the rope around her.

Managing to finally stand, her eyes found a door at the other end of the room, past her assailant, and she swallowed heavily, realizing how treacherous her path was. Taking a deep breath and creeping slowly, she found it hard to adjust to the movements of the ship, which rolled and yawed against the invisible sea. It was a painstaking crawl, with her breath hanging heavily over her parted lips. Before she passed him, a sudden lurch below threw her against a table, disturbing an empty bottle. It rolled off and nearly crashed to the floor had she not caught it with nimble fingers. A great breath slipped from her lips as she froze, looking to the man and finding that he was still silent, still asleep.

"_That was close."_

Keeping the bottle as a makeshift club, she continued to creep towards the door, although it was now the creaky floorboards that groaned under her feet. She grimaced and froze again, but the man didn't move. She blew back some of her hair from her face.

"_I'm glad this guy's a heavy sleeper."_

Fighting the room, she continued, passing him slowly and pointing the bottle at his head with a fierce look in her eyes. Secretly, she wanted to club him, but she wasn't sure such a monster would succumb to anything she could do, so she slowly kept moving, making broad steps like a dancer until she was then backing away, her lips still pouting and her shaky hands barely keeping the bottle in hand. Her entire, noisy trek didn't bother him and she felt her heel strike the door, making her look back before giving him once last glance to make sure he was still quiet.

Satisfied, she slowly turned, clawing her hand out for the handle.

"That would be unwise, Princess."

Anna shrieked in surprise and juggled the bottle, barely grabbing it in a tight hug to keep it from shattering on the ground. She slammed her back against the door and her eyes locked on him, her chest heaving wildly. While he hadn't moved, it was obvious he had been awake the entire time, his eyes following her on her dramatic journey across the room. Oddly, she felt embarrassed by that.

"Oh, you're awake?" she asked nervously, regaining her grasp on the bottle and wielding it like a club once more.

He finally moved, leaning forward on his barrel, his elbows propped on his knees. "Where might you be going, I wonder."

Anna laughed sheepishly, swinging the bottle casually and wondering if she could open the door and call for help before he managed to stop her. "Oh, I thought I'd just step outside for some fresh air. Kinda stuffy in here, you know," she replied.

He let out a slow breath behind the mask. "Listen carefully, Princess, and heed me well. You are helpless, with not a royal guard to be seen. You are on a ship, sailing through frigid waters many fathoms deep, several miles from shore, and crewed by men of questionable character, with only a wooden door between you. Your safety is assured solely by your willingness to do as I command," he explained.

"Do not open that door."

Her chest seized by his tone, she suddenly heard the movements of others beyond the door. The voices she heard were loud and brash, cursing with profanity she could barely make out and sounding as gritty as the ship looked. There was a grime in the air that stuck to her skin and the ship suddenly seemed as terrible as he described. Although they hadn't started off well, she strangely felt like even though the masked man terrified her and had already proven to be villainous, the vulgarity beyond the door felt darker than the room and that any self-respecting princess wouldn't want to go skipping out to meet them.

For the moment, she could believe that he was the lesser of the two evils on that ship.

"Oh. Well, stuffy isn't so bad, I guess," she remarked with a defeated shrug, stepping away from the door.

He seemed appeased and leaned back once more.

A heavy silence settled in the cabin. Having never been kidnapped before, she didn't know what to do or how to feel, but the urgency of being taken further away from her home with each passing moment made her step towards him, trying to figure just how to approach this quiet demon that had taken her. "So, is there any chance I can convince you to let me go, Mr. Kidnapper?" she asked politely.

No answer.

"No? Well, worth a shot," she sighed and looked around the cabin, trying to formulate a new plan before letting her eyes settle on him again. With his robes and mask, he didn't even appear human, more like some kind of perilous monster, yet his calm voice and fair warning made her hope there was more to him that some insidious plot to kidnap her. She tried to appeal to his humanity.

"Can you at least cut the ropes? Like you said, I'm not going anywhere," she said, holding out her bound wrists.

No answer.

"Oh, come on. It's not like..." she began, but was interrupted when the door behind her was loudly kicked open, making her squeal and turn. In the doorway was the captain from the harbor, minus one boot, and Anna remembered his exchange with Elsa, mostly because his large hat was easy to recognize. The air that followed him was foul and his hand was resting on a rapier at his side. He was glaring harshly and it made her step back, though his arrival did finally make her kidnapper slide down from the barrel, facing him.

"What is it, Captain?" he said.

The captain's eyes were locked on Anna and a mischievous smile had returned to his scarred lips. It made a shiver run down her spine. "Just checking on my passengers, making sure their every need is fulfilled," he replied smoothly. Anna could tell his thick accent wasn't the same as her kidnapper's, but his presence was strangely more chilling. His beard was messy and his wiry hair was tied back loosely under his hat. When he smiled at her, he showed the yellowness of his teeth and the lewd glimmer in his eyes. His mere appearance made her retreat another step back.

"We require nothing. How long until landfall?" the masked man demanded.

"Mere hours away," the captain reported as his eyes shifted past the nervous princess and to the creature beyond. He began pacing slightly. "I'll admit, it puzzles me why you hired an entire ship just to transport this young lady such a short distance down the coast. A carriage would have been far cheaper, my friend."

"That is not your business. You were paid. Leave us until we reach port," he answered pointedly.

Anna could feel the tension between them and ironically felt relieved that her kidnapper wasn't associated with this man or the foul air that hung around him. It was a strange thing to take sides between two devils, yet something about the captain told her that he wasn't there simply to chat. While she thought she should say something to try and defuse the tension, she felt compelled to remain silent.

"I'm afraid I cannot leave just yet, my friend. You see, the amount of money we were paid pales in comparison to what one might get..." the captain said darkly, gesturing long, yellowed fingernails towards Anna, "for the princess of Arendelle." The gesture made her retreat back another step and begin to object when the masked man moved between them, his posture fierce and his hands hidden in his robes.

"Who she is…is none of your concern," he cautioned.

The captain was intimidated for a moment, but a few creaks of the floorboards behind him bolstered his courage. Six heavily armed men stood ready for his command outside the cabin, each of them tense and waiting for the signal. Normally, he would have simply walked in and taken what he wanted, but he also remembered how this mysterious figure had freed his ship from the grip of the Snow Queen's magic, and that reason alone made him reluctant to proceed.

This masked demon was far more than he appeared to be.

In spite of the obvious threat, the captain suddenly appealed to Anna in a heavily shrouded tone, acting as if the entire standoff was merely a misunderstanding, "Princess, I don't know by what circumstances you came to be with this man, but I can promise you that if you would but ask, I'd escort you back to your kingdom, where I will gladly accept a small token of your appreciation. In the form of gold, perhaps?" Anna's heart leapt a moment, feeling the chance to have her hands unbound and return home. While all of her instincts had been telling her to beware the captain, the idea of going back to the safety of her castle made her consider the offer.

"You mean it? You'll take me home?" she asked, leaning out from behind the masked man.

The captain smiled. "Of course, Princess. You've my word as a gentleman," he replied, bowing gracefully with his hat pulled away in hand. His smile never left his face and his eyes stayed on the masked man.

Anna looked between them, wondering what to do. She had never considered that she would be given the opportunity to simply go back and end this nightmare, yet as her eyes moved from the seemingly courteous captain to the back of her kidnapper, she began to focus on the things that confused her. While the aching in her neck warned her that he had did have something planned for her, he hadn't been otherwise vicious, speaking calmly and courteously. In contrast to the captain's overtures, his behavior felt genuine, even if his intentions seemed wicked. Being taken to some unknown place frightened her, as did he, but something in her mind was screaming to not trust the captain's offer.

All of her heart told her not to trust him.

He reeked of treachery.

The princess took a deep breath after weighing her options, then smiled thinly at the parading captain. "I think I'll stick with him. Sorry," she said, pointing to her kidnapper. Between chivalrous treachery and villainous courtesy, she would go with the man who seemed to regard her as if she were a person and not a treasure to be stowed.

Hearing her answer, the captain scowled and stood straight, replacing his hat. His hand settled back to his rapier. It would have been much easier had she simply come to him, saving him from a scuffle that might cost him a few men and a good deal of cleaning in his finest cabin. He muttered how foolish women were and was quickly trying to figure out how he would overpower the masked man when the demon suddenly stepped forward, something that made the captain flinch and nearly draw his sword, though the memory of the actions in the harbor still burned brightly in his mind and he felt an overwhelming fear take a hold of him. The man's voice came out from behind the mask, powerful and commanding, warning him of the consequences of trying to take the princess from him.

"You have your answer. Take your men and go. Sail to port, allow us to depart and you may yet see this day end with nothing more than a lost boot."

For any other man, the captain would have taken the threat lightly and fed him to the sharks, yet looking deeply into the holes of the mask, he swore that he saw the faintest orange glow set dangerously inside, warning him that should he take his position for granted, the unbelievable force that freed his captured ship from the grasp of the ice would be turned against him, reducing his entire ship to nothing in the dark waters of the sea.

Overwhelmed and fearful, the captain suddenly growled, swallowing his terror as his bare foot twitched, then turned angrily and stomped out of the cabin, slamming the door behind him. His angry voice roared in the hallway, but they couldn't make out what was said. The masked man's posture relaxed at his departure, but he continued to stare at the door until all of the other footsteps disappeared into the bowels of the ship.

At the bloodless resolution, Anna blew a deep breath of relief out from her pursed lips, glad that nothing awful had happened. "Wow! That was really tense. I thought I was going to have a heart attack or something. What a jerk! I mean, that guy didn't seem like the gentleman he was pretending to be and believe me, I can spot that from a mile..." she exclaimed excitedly, reaching up with calm her heart, then realized her hands were still bound.

"Wait, I'm still being kidnapped, aren't I?"

"You were wise not to go with him. A princess is quite valuable in the Southern Seas, and not merely as ransom," the masked man remarked.

"Yeah, I kind of got that from his icky vibe," she agreed, then twisted her brow slightly and smirked, "But how do I know you're not going to do the same thing? I kind of doubt you kidnap princesses as a hobby, though if you do, you seriously need to find something better to do with your time."

Her comment was met with silence and she sighed, realizing that although he didn't seem to be particularly violent, she knew nothing about him or his plans for her, and that his exchange with the captain had shown her that he knew how to handle himself. "Okay, standard answer," she grumbled, then realized just how precarious their position had been as she stared at her unlikely bulwark against the ship. "So what you would have done if I decided to go with him instead of stick with you and your charming personality?"

The question hung in the air and she wondered if it was unwise to try and find out how wicked this demon really was, though he suddenly stomped past her and returned his barrel, though he simply stood before it with his hand placed on top, speaking in a quiet voice that she could barely hear.

"Something terrible."

A shiver ran through her. While she could read the captain easily enough, she still had no idea what to think of him. She couldn't brush him off as a simple kidnapper, but she couldn't trust him either. His actions and his demeanor seemed like they were at odds, as if playing the monster didn't come naturally to him, but she couldn't dismiss the fact that he had abducted her at knifepoint and bound her with vague threats and a frightening presence.

He was a total mystery to her.

"Look, if I promise not to run or anything, can you at least cut these ropes?" she asked, holding out her wrists. She felt like she had earned a little trust.

He was quiet for a moment and her hopes grew.

"No."

His brisk answer made the back of her neck flare with heat and she scowled, feeling all of her efforts shatter. At the very least, she knew he was kind of a jerk as well. "And here I thought you might be a nice person!" she hissed, stomping over to the bed and sitting down with her back to him. She glared over her shoulder as harshly as she could. "I guess I was wrong. Not a nice bone in your body."

He had already climbed back onto the barrel, almost as if he had never moved. He didn't seem interested in her tantrum.

"Rest, Princess. We make landfall soon," he replied.

Anna snorted and glared at the wall. "Oh wonderful. And then what, Mr. Moody Kidnapper?"

"On to the Weeping Valley."

* * *

Through the dark, snow-covered landscape, a single figure rushed over the snow. A long cowl and cape obscured them and there was barely a footprint left behind, as if the snow itself healed after the being disturbed. The queen of Arendelle had slipped out of her own kingdom, past the guards with nothing more than a note to Regent Stenson.

_Anna was taken._

_I'm going to bring her back._

_Take care of things._

Elsa knew that telling anyone about Anna would be a mistake and that the entire kingdom would volunteer to go find her. She also knew that with the kidnapper asking her to come alone, this was probably more about her than Anna, as her powers stirred up fear in others, just as it did within her. Her mind and heart were caught up in the torrent of worry that surged whenever she imagined her sister in the hands of some unknown villain, being subjected to unfathomable things and a victim of their every whim and desire. The thought of it kept her pace quick and focused on what she would do when she finally met them.

Frighteningly, she found herself dwelling on it to a great degree.

In spite of the dreadful reason for her flight, a part of her also reveled in the chance to get away from the castle, with no one to follow her through the snow. Traveling in an unsure direction, with only an ancient map to guide her, she pulled her cowl tightly across her face and pressed on through the dark landscape, finding that the time around MidWinter was possibly the most hazardous to travel, as darkness ruled the land in lieu of the dawn. The cowl wasn't to protect her from the elements, but to protect her from being recognized or followed. In the endless fields of snow and ice of the kingdom, she was in her element, and there was something invigorating about it.

Stopping in a small clearing away from the main road, Elsa pulled her lantern close to look over her map, which was faded and torn. Arendelle stood as a large landmark near the middle, with the royal seal stamped next to the cartographer's name. There were dozens of lakes and rivers, along with other significant features. Near the right edge of the map, written in small lettering, was a strangely shaped depression in the landscape with a name barely legible next to it.

_The Weeping Valley._

The name made her shiver. Following a map through unknown terrain in the pale moonlight wasn't a standard skill for a queen, but she was confident she was going the right way, though her apprehension wasn't making it easy to stay calm. For someone to sneak into Arendelle, subdue several guards and sneak out with a member of the royal family meant she was dealing a villain with significant skill, though that wasn't the most disturbing element of the crime. What truly worried her was that when she followed the tracks to the harbor, she found that they took Anna on the same ship she had frozen into the fjord and that the ice that she had created hadn't been broken, but melted.

She hadn't seen anything that could melt her ice in such a way.

"Anna, be safe," she said to herself, tucking the map back into her cape and continuing on, adjacent to the main road.

Judging as best as she could from the map and the landmarks, Elsa found herself walking through the high mountains. In an isolated valley, she came across a quiet mumbling sound, carried through the dark by the crisp, cold air. It stalled her, with her wondering what she might find that would rumble and grumble so. While she couldn't afford to waste any time, she had been planning on crossing the clearing, but as she peered out from behind a large tree, she found someone there. It was a man, walking back and forth through a long trench in the snow. There were supplies scattered around and a sled parked not far away. The man paced, talking as if there were an audience all around, though he was oblivious to her presence. If that weren't strange enough, the man was very familiar to her, as if fate itself had put him in her way.

"Kristoff?" she asked quietly. It was the last person she wanted to see. Anna's plight would hit him hard and she knew that he deserved to go after her as well, but something deep inside kept her behind the tree and reading the words from the note in her mind.

_Come alone. Come alone._

Making this midnight trek through the wilderness to face some unknown foe was terrifying, but she was strangely reluctant to involve him. There were any number of things that spurred her on alone, from her growing confidence in her powers to the anger that brewed within her heart, though it may have also been simply selfishness that made her feel this way, for she wanted to be the one to rescue Anna and somehow repay her for all she had done. As she lingered behind the tree, she let out a deep sigh at the crime she would commit against him. With her own desires tempering the pain in her heart, she made the choice to leave Anna's beloved out of it and proceed on alone.

That was, however, before she turned to leave and found a reindeer in her face, bellowing at the sight of her. She jumped back, her heart in her throat and her hood falling back. "Sven!" she chirped. The happy reindeer bounced about excitedly like a puppy finding its favorite toy and she tried to hush the noise, waving her hands and feeling pressed to avoid drawing Kristoff's attention.

"Shhhh, shhhh. Please be quiet," she pleaded.

"Queen Elsa?" said a voice behind her and she froze instantly. Kristoff had come over from his trench and was surprised to see her. She was easily the last person he had ever expected to find among the darkness and snow. "What are you doing all the way up here?"

"Kristoff! Fancy meeting you here. I was just...well, on a walk. Yes, that's it. A walk," she replied as she turned, trying to act casual.

Kristoff scratched his head and looked past her shoulder, where he knew Arendelle lay far beyond. "That's some walk," he remarked, then looked back with a suspicious look on his face. One didn't often find the queen strolling around the high mountains with no sign of an escort. "Where are your guards?"

Elsa laughed nervously again. "Oh, well, you know. Can't I go for a walk alone sometimes? I mean, I don't need guards_ everywhere _I go, do I?" she replied dismissively. While he continued to look at her suspiciously, she looked around for some kind of way to change the subject, finding his deep trough through the clearing. She paired that with some genuine curiosity. "What are you doing all the way up here, anyway?"

Now it was his turn to become evasive and his back stiffened. "Me? Oh, nothing. Well, nothing important. I mean, just looking for ice and all. I am your official Ice Master, after all. Yep, lots of grade-A ice around here," he said as he looked around, chuckling nervously. In the clearing, there was nothing but powdery snow and hibernating trees, with not a single sign of solid ice.

She quirked her brow at him.

"Okay, I wasn't looking for ice," he admitted, finding it difficult to try and lie to the queen, "I was just thinking, that's all."

"Thinking," she repeated, noticing how deep and well-dug the trench was. She imagined he had been up here for days. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Yes. I mean, I don't know," he sighed, taking his hat off and pacing once more, right in front of her. It was obvious he was disturbed and that even his best pacing did little to solve the problem. Inwardly, he wondered if telling her about it might help. "I have this problem, see. It's about Anna. She wants to get married and all, but..."

"But?" Elsa echoed, this time with a stern look on her face.

He instantly picked up on her tone and panicked as he waved his hands at her. "No no, I mean, I want to get married too, but..." he said, trying not to suffer her wrath. In the end, he sighed and wilted to the side, shrugging against his helplessness to resolve the issue by himself. "It's just I don't even know what I'm doing. I've spent days up here trying figure how to propose, _if _I should propose and how I'd even make it work. I even went and got a ring, but..." he continued and pulled out a simple wooden box with a grand treasure inside, though his eyes fell when he looked at it and he sighed.

"She's a princess, and I'm just some guy who drags ice for a living."

It was that honesty that made her like Kristoff. Self-doubt was a song she knew well, so she could sympathize with him, even if she didn't agree with his reasoning. "That doesn't matter to Anna. She loves you for who you are. It doesn't matter if you're an ice master or a king. It's enough that you love each other," she said softly.

"You really think so?" he asked.

"I do," she assured him, "And besides, I've a feeling that the queen approves of your intent to marry her sister, so try not worry so much."

Kristoff returned her smile, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. While he had never considered bothering her with such an insignificant problem, he was glad he got to talk to her, and that she was the kind person that Anna had always said she was. "Thank you, Your Majesty. That means a lot to me," he admitted and pushed the box back into his satchel. She kept her smile for him, and his anxiety seemed to lessen.

Feeling the short silence that followed to be heavy, he suddenly shrugged as he tried to wade back into the mess he had made with his absence. In truth, being alone with Elsa made him nervous for any number of reasons.

"So, with MidWinter coming up and all, is Anna mad at me for being gone?" he asked, wincing.

She was abruptly brought back to reality and her smile faded. Anna was still missing and she still had a task ahead of her. "Oh, Anna is..." she began, then saw the look on his face. His obvious expectations of being yelled at upon his return made her guilt worse, and she repaid his honesty with lies.

"She hasn't said much about it."

"Really?" he replied, looking surprised, "Because I thought she'd be fuming!" Now he seemed more disappointed than anything and she felt overwhelming guilt at lying, like now she felt like she was sliding down an icy hill, unable to stop telling him the lies. In spite of the deceptively good news, he gave into his disbelief and glanced at her again. "She really didn't say anything about it?"

Elsa took a breath, then sighed.

"Not a thing."

"Oh," he sighed sadly, putting his cap back on his head. He tried to imagine how much trouble he was in, though he didn't know which would be worse, her yelling or her silence. In either case, he suddenly felt afraid to go back. "Well, then I'd better get back before she does get mad. Can I give you a ride back, Your Majesty?" he offered.

As he began to turn back to his sled, Elsa's guilt flooded her resolve and she ran her hands against each other, knowing she should follow the instructions in the note but also that she didn't really want to do this alone. She also didn't like the idea of sending him off on a bed of lies and deceit.

"Wait, Kristoff," she blurted and it caused him to pause and look back to her, "There's something I need to tell you about Anna."

Carefully, she pulled the note from her cape and stared at it, feeling the weight of it in her hand, then sighed as she presented it to him. Kristoff was disturbed by her expression and took the note, unrolling it and reading quickly. His eyes ignited and he looked up, the fury in his eyes mirroring the panic in hers.

"What does this mean? Someone took Anna? Who?" he demanded.

She shook her head. "I don't know. But I'm going to bring her back, Kristoff. You have my word," she said fiercely.

He looked back to the note and pressed his lips together, then felt it crumple between his angry fingers. "You mean we'll bring her back," he replied as he stabbed it back into her hand, then hurried towards his sled.

Elsa was shaken by his response and took a reluctant step forward, finding the situation flying further out of her control. "What? No! You've read the note. They want me to come alone," she argued.

He shook his head, continuing to throw supplies into his sled and inwardly berate himself for not being around when she was taken. "I'm not going to sit around while you go alone. When it comes to Anna, I don't listen to what_ they _want," he said, calling Sven over to get into the harness. He had once went against his heart and retreated when he should have stayed close. He wasn't about to sit back and let someone else have her.

"Just wait a minute," she tried once more, though found her heart happy that he was forcing the issue. As prepared as she had been to do this alone, she found that his insistence calmed her, though she was trying to maintain a brave face and royal posture. Elsa commanded the elements and could turn an entire kingdom to ice, yet she knew that with his courage, he was just as capable of seeing Anna home safely from the hands of whatever monster had taken her.

That fact alone eroded her argument against him.

"Besides, you're already bringing Olaf," he noted as he cinched up Sven's harness.

Elsa blinked in surprise. "I am?" she asked.

"This is terrible! They've taken Anna to the Weeping Valley! What a tragedy! Anything but the Weeping Valley!" cried the snowman, who was sitting behind her with the note in his twigs.

Elsa twirled around and gasped. "Olaf! When did...did you follow me?" she demanded.

"Well, yeah. I couldn't let you go alone, Elsa," he replied.

As angry as she tried to appear, she couldn't fight the relief that swept over her and she glanced over to Kristoff, who was moving with purpose and focus. She could see his devotion and remembered that she wasn't the only one that loved Anna. Sighing and looking back to the smiling snowman, her own smile broke through her worried expression. "I'm starting to think Anna's stubbornness is rubbing off on you two, but I guess there's no use in arguing about it," she said, turning back to Kristoff, who gave her a confident nod.

With the queen's false demands overruled, the four of them resolved to go save Anna.

"So, where is this Weeping Valley?" Olaf asked as he waddled towards the sled.

Elsa pulled out her map. "I have a map, but I don't know if I'm reading it right. I think it's that way?"

"It's fine. I know where it is," Kristoff said, jumping up into the sled and leaving enough room for Elsa, "If we hurry, we'll be there in no time."

Feeling more confident than ever, she nodded and climbed into the sled, leaving her cowl down to show her determined face. A party of hearts in love with Anna would easily fare better than one and she quietly wished for her sister to be safe long enough for them to find her.

And secretly, she was still brooding over what she would do to the villain that had taken her.

"Oh yes, the Weeping Valley. I bet it's a wonderful place," Olaf remarked as he vaulted up into the back of the sled, and Kristoff spurred them forward through the snow.


	3. Into the Weeping Valley

**III**

Into the Weeping Valley

Anna trudged along behind her kidnapper, stumbling over the rough terrain of loose shale and jagged boulders that was the new world around her. Since leaving Arendelle's borders, the landscape had changed dramatically. Instead of mountainous terrain with endless snow and ice, the area had become dull and hot, a strange contrast to the cold of winter. The Weeping Valley was deep within an area that was geologically active, with hot pots and boiling ponds all around. It was the wind that gave it the name Weeping Valley, for it came hot through the many distant columns of built-up ash, howling and wailing, as if a thousand lost souls cried out to anyone who ventured this deep within. She would have been fascinated by it, if not for the acrid air that stung her nose and the sweat beading from her face.

It had been a strange journey from the port. Even though she was relieved when the foul captain let them depart the ship without a single objection, following her silent kidnapper through the snowy hills had pushed her physically and mentally, though she continually found herself trying to figure him out. While her wrists were bound, her legs were free and her eyes scanned for a way to escape, yet she couldn't escape the curiosity of his manner and his voice. Not since the castle had he turned his hand on her and even his mannerisms were decidedly softer than what she expected from a vile criminal. If anything, she found being kidnapped gave her the opportunity to try and unravel his mysteries.

Ironically, she was bound more by her interest than by the ropes.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going? I think I'm pretty accommodating for a hostage, you know? What with the not-running-away and all," she groaned, annoyed at his quick pace and silence.

"Not far now," he replied.

"You really know how to make a conversation lively," she grunted, suddenly tripping and barely catching her balance. Her temper flared and she stomped in a fit. "It would be so much easier if my hands weren't tied!"

"For you, perhaps," he remarked.

"Hey, Mr. Kidnapper, I've been happily marching behind you for who knows how long, without once trying to run off and find help or something. Are you afraid I'll flap my arms and get away?" she sneered as she waved her arms dramatically. His only response was to keep marching, which irked more than her childish response could portray, "I hope you cook like a turkey in that get up."

As he had never shed his heavy robes or mask even in the stifling heat of the valley, it made her believe he was far more uncomfortable than she was.

She felt satisfaction in that.

They continued, with the rocky trail smoothing out and taking them into a series of caves, where the sky was hidden but the heat remained. The caves, like the valley, were stained yellow and black, smelling of sulfur and boiling with some unknown heat. He produced a torch to fill the caves with light, though it seemed unnecessary as they were lined with a strangely glowing moss that filled the darkness with a soothing blue glow. She had never seen anything like it, though it grew higher than she could reach, depriving her of the chance to stop and examine it.

As she followed, tethered by her curiosity, she was becoming aware of the ivory handle of the black dagger at his back, catching glimpses of it as he walked awkwardly before her. He was obviously showing fatigue, for he swayed unnaturally and it caused her to see his weapon, taunting her with a chance to alter the nature of their relationship. Every flash of the white handle made her heart jump and the temptation grow, for while she was remarkably complaint as a captive, she was beginning to get annoyed by his lack of attention.

In the face of continuing silence, she wasn't satisfied with being a damsel-in-distress.

When the next chance presented itself, she lunged forward and grasped the handle, wrenching it until she stumbled backwards with the weapon in hand. It was almost as surprising to her as it was for him, for when he spun around to face her, she squealed and nearly dropped the dagger to the ground. "Whoa! Ah hah! Hah hah!" she cried, pointing the exotic blade at him and swishing around a few times for effect, "Now then, it looks like the shoe is on the other foot! How about that?"

He was still and his grip tightened around the torch, his eyes glaring at her from behind the mask. He slowly raised his free hand out to her.

"Give me the dagger," he commanded.

"Oh! I mean, I don't think so. I think it's time to change our little arrangement," she said in a frightened voice, though as she now had the advantage, she decided to flaunt her newfound authority. "Now, you will take me back to Arendelle. Or at least take the ropes off. Wait, forget the ropes. You'll take me back home. Immediately."

The man exhaled slowly and his hand lowered into his robes.

"If I refuse?" he replied.

She hadn't expected that response, giving him a very perturbed expression. "If you...what do you mean, _if I refuse_? I think it's pretty obvious, right? I'll…use this," she said, wagging the tip of the blade at him.

He scoffed. "You do not have the heart to kill a man," he replied bluntly.

"Oh, don't think you know me. This isn't the first time I've used one of these, I'll have you know. I've run hundreds through. Thousands!" she claimed.

He sighed yet again. "I do not wish to hurt you, Princess, but I will if necessary," he said, this time raising his hand out and stepping towards her to reclaim it by force.

She nervously stepped back, standing on her toes to try and appear more intimidating. "Don't come any closer! I'm warning you!" she cried, though he offered no response and continued to approach her. Her breath was coming out in pulses and she was looking around, though she had absolutely no idea what she expected to find that would help. All she knew was this wasn't going according to her plan.

Then she realized she never had a plan in the first place.

"You really have no idea how bad this is going to be. This is your last chance," she panted.

His continuing approach caused her to panic, press her eyes closed and squeal as she stabbed the dagger forward. It wasn't natural for her and she was awkward in her lunge, but she had little other option but to hope for the best.

Admittedly, she realized it wasn't a great plan.

At the apex of her thrust, the dagger stopped. There was no screaming or squishy center to him, and she thought that stabbing someone wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it was going to be. When she opened her eyes to see if he was okay, she found he had caught her hands as the dagger hovered mere inches from his chest, his free hand neatly controlling her attack. Before she could react, he pinched down and made a sharp pain shoot through her arm, making her cry out as she lost the dagger and tuck her arms to her body tightly, scowling. He was annoyingly stubborn against her flimsy plan to impale him.

With the dagger in hand, he deftly spun it around and pointed it at her, chilling the air between them. From behind the mask his eyes were flashing and even though he had easily disarmed her, he was obviously disquieted by her attempt.

"Do not do that again," he warned.

The tip of the dagger was now at her chest and she sucked in a breath of air, finding that being on this end of the blade was far more nerve-racking. Fearing she had pushed him too far, her chest clenched in fear and her throat choking any pleads for mercy. She suddenly feared she might have been wrong about him all along.

Suddenly, the blade shimmered. She imagined herself paying for her attempt, that he would prove his villainous nature by punishing her, though he simply cut down through the ropes on her hands, freeing them with a single stroke. It came as a surprise and she stared at him for several moments while she rubbed her wrists, now more confused than ever.

Once again, she didn't understand him at all.

"I don't get it. Why free me now?" she asked.

Her question seemed to catch him off guard. "The caves ahead are dangerous. You becoming injured does not serve my purpose. But do not press my patience further, Princess. If you behave, I will let you go, and you may return to your home. Do you understand?" he said, trying to regain some authority over her. Once more, she found that he was trying to play the role of the monster, though it didn't seem to suit him. It was as if the mask he wore wasn't the frightening metal hulk across his face, but the villain he pretended to be, making her a slave to this bizarre interest in him and what lay underneath the cracked shell.

"What _is_ your purpose?" she asked exhaustedly. "Who are you?"

He hesitated at her questions, then exhaled and slowly reached up, unfastening his robes at his neck. The thick covering fell to his feet and revealed surprisingly fine clothing, dyed red and black, though faded and torn. Around his arms were thick leather sleeves that were tied with leather cords, leaving them bare underneath but protected across the top. His boots were low and his ankles showed, which told her he wasn't accustomed to the snow of Arendelle's winter. As she stared on quietly, he reached up and hooked his thumb beneath his mask, slowly lifting it from his face, finally revealing the man within the monster.

He was young, but older than her. His skin was marked by sweat and his dark hair was messy and long. He opened his pale gray eyes, showing a determination and ferocity that she hadn't seen in many people, and it only built on the exotic image she had nurtured of this man who wore many masks.

"I am Yasha, of the kingdom of Fria. And I would have you come with me, Princess, in spite of your will or desire."

Anna stared at him, not sure how she should respond. He was more handsome than she imagined, even with his unkempt appearance. His accent and unusual eyes were alluring, and the contradictions remained. He was kind, but forceful. He was polite, but demanding. A simple glance beckoned her to obey, but she wished to defy him with every breath. It wasn't a black dagger or terrible mask made her heart race, but only one simple thing that made her breath quiver through her chest.

It was his commanding presence that was his most dangerous weapon, and the fire that burned in his lucid eyes.

"Princess," he called, breaking her from her gaze.

A wave of red washed over her skin as she realized she had been staring, though she had no idea for how long or exactly what type of expression she had been wearing. "What? I mean, okay. I mean, what?" she stuttered clumsily.

Shaking off her daze, she tried to focus on person that was before her, not the terrible creature she had seen in glimpses. As bizarre as their introduction was, her natural character pierced the mood and she smiled awkwardly. "Nice to meet you?"

His eyes moved ahead as if to absolve himself of her gaze as he quickly slipped the dagger around and stabbed into its sheath, silently and with much practice. With her strangely casual response, he was finding it difficult to replace the atmosphere with one that better suited his task. "A pleasure," he replied just as clumsily, then turned, scooping up his robes and mask, and continuing on their path. With the way he let her free and made no further threats, it was apparent that he simply expected her to follow.

And she did.

"Hey, wait!" she called, skirting after him with panic in her eyes, ironically afraid he would leave her there.

After a short time and while still suffering their awkward introduction, they fell back into their places, with him walking forcefully forward and her following close behind. He appeared so differently to her now, like a real person. His surprisingly attractive appearance changed her entire image of him, with his actions on the ship seeming more gallant, his words more kind and his actions a simple misunderstanding. The fact that he wasn't an ugly, cruel person under the mask began to lull her into a sense of trust, when no trust was yet warranted. And it happened so subtly that she didn't even notice, but only that she started feeling more eager about learning more about him.

"Hellooooo?" she called, annoyed that he was more standoffish without the mask. Only after a few more times of calling did he turn as they walked, and she felt inclined to engage him. "Uhm, hi. So since we're all buddy-buddy now, can we talk?"

He snorted quietly and tried to keep ignoring her.

"Right, so I guess the obvious question is, why kidnap little old me? I mean, I'm sure there are lots of other princesses that you could take for whatever nefarious purposes you have in mind," she suggested, then suddenly winced and eyed him nervously, "You don't have any nefarious purposes in mind, do you?"

"I will keep my word. When I have what I require, I will let you go," he assured her.

"Okay. So then, what do you require? You know, if you don't mind me asking," she asked.

"You are very polite towards someone who took from your castle at knifepoint," he remarked, "Are you always this forthcoming towards men with questionable intentions?"

Her lips suddenly burst dismissively and she rolled her head sheepishly across her neck. "Ugh, you have no idea," she said, remembering back to previous experiences of devious princes taking advantage of her open heart, "Let's just say you're not the first and leave it at that. Anyway, I don't know why you're all glum and moody, but you don't seem like such a bad guy. You're actually kind of nice?"

"Am I?" he asked and abruptly stopped, looking back in surprise. She only smiled and nodded, which appeared to make him uncomfortable. It wasn't the impression he expected and it made him even more wary of the smile she offered.

"You have a strange understanding of what it means to be kidnapped, Princess," he remarked, and then continued on.

She laughed as if he had been flattering her, trotting along behind him as she dispelled the formality between them. "Please, you can just call me Anna. And it's not like I've ever been kidnapped before, so I don't exactly know what to expect. I kind of thought there'd be more yelling or burlap sacks, or something," she mused, though she still wanted to dig down and find the purpose behind it all. "And, you know, I'd still like to know why."

Even as she found a new casual mood between them, her line of questions was dissolving his levity. He quietly stared forward and his response struck her. His back had stiffened, as if he suddenly remembered the gravity of their situation and when he did answer, it came in a frighteningly candid voice as he looked distantly at path ahead.

"I intend to kill your sister, Anna."

She instantly stopped. It took her a moment to even comprehend the response as her face went from a lighthearted smile to a much more offended grimace. She glared at him furiously. "Whoa whoa, mister, that's '_Princess' _to you. And what do you mean you intend to kill my sister?!" she wailed, clenched tightly at the mere suggestion and gawking incredulously, as if he were somehow the last person she would expect to want to harm Elsa. The threat instantly destroyed any rapport they had been building and the reality of the situation slapped her in the face, as this was no longer a playfully strange exchange from an oddly alluring stranger.

This suddenly became terrifying.

Yasha stopped as well, yet didn't face her. "It is a frivolous story, and you need not sympathize with my reasons," he stated coldly.

"Like I'm going to be okay with you wanting to kill Elsa! Did you _think_ I'd just be okay with that?" she yelled, fighting the panic in her chest. He didn't even bother to look back, staring quietly into the distance, which only infuriated her more. Still, she felt there was far more behind his actions than some simple scheme, and she strangely wanted to believe there was more to him than such a cruel purpose.

Seeing as he offered nothing to allay her mood, she suddenly crossed her arms over her chest and smirked, taking a different tone and trying to intimidate him. "And besides, that's easier said than done, buddy. I mean, yeah, you were able to sneak into the castle, kidnap a princess and escape on a ship that was frozen into the fjord, but regardless of all that, Elsa's pretty powerful, you know. She could turn you into a popsicle," she remarked, throwing a threatening finger to emphasize her last point.

He considered that for a moment.

"I will manage," he replied.

"_I will manage,_" she repeated in a mocking tone, hoping somehow to discourage him. He didn't react and she bristled at how confidently he imagined his dark purpose. "Others have tried and Elsa's still here, so don't be so sure of yourself."

Yasha sighed and dropped his head, as if her defense was nothing more than an inconvenience. Realistically, he had never expected her to react any other way, though her previously warm behavior had disturbed his pace, making him feel almost cordial with her. Now, as she righteously stood to defend her sister, he was reminded of the truth of their relationship and why he simply had to press on as the villain he portrayed.

Pushing his matted hair back and turning to take a heavier hand against her, he suddenly felt a tension in the air that had otherwise gone unnoticed. There was something scraping along the caves around them, covered in darkness, and his attention swiftly drifted to the shadows beyond the torchlight, his body tense and his jaw tight. Anna noticed this sudden change of posture and felt like she might have dissuaded him with her convincing arguments, unaware of the danger around them.

"Ah hah! Not so sure of yourself now, eh? I don't blame you. Elsa turns guys like you into frosty statues with a flick of her wrist, and that's not even half of what I'll do if you even think about touching my sister," she barked smugly.

"Be quiet for a moment," he said, cutting away her tone with the alarm in his voice, "There is something else here."

At first, she didn't believe him and simply thought she was making good ground at intimidating him, which made her open her mouth for a new volley, until she heard a distinctly terrifying sound coming from the dark. It was rock being scraped against rock. There was a pitched whine, muffled by shadows, and the sensation of being watched.

Soon enough, she could feel the panic rising, as she was also keen to the presence just beyond the rim of light. "Some thing? It's not wolves, is it?" she asked, ironically stepping closer to him as her eyes scanned the dark recesses of the caves.

Yasha scowled. "Something far worse," he replied.

"A Xenolith."

Taking a few steps from her, he continued to look around with the torch, though couldn't find anything but shadows. It was the last thing he wanted to find as they moved through the caves and the reason he had freed her from her bindings. It was simple enough to avoid them when he was alone, but looking after her would complicate matters. She was proving to be a handful all on her own, so he was greatly annoyed at having to also deal with ancient monsters of darkness and shadows.

It was only until he turned back did he find the creature, moving silently behind her, ready to strike with a great swing of its massive arm. His body was moving before his lips even parted to speak. "Anna!" he yelled, lunging forward to her surprise.

The two of them rolled to the side just as a huge, black claw crushed the ground where she had been standing, sending a spray of fragmented rocks into the cave. It took a moment longer for her to regain her senses, but when she did she found a looming monster, like a shadow itself and glowing with the same type of red markings she had seen on his dagger. It was a golem made of shiny volcanic rock. It was jagged and tall and two yellow eyes pierced the darkness. The sound it made was like the whine of a crystal goblet as it shrieked, making her wince but not take her eyes from it.

"What is that?!" she cried.

"That is a Xenolith," he snarled, shoving the torch into her hands and facing the creature.

She fumbled the torch and waved it in his face. "What's this for!?" she demanded.

Grabbing her hand as it held the torch, he forced her to wave it at the creature. "You are an incessant deluge of questions, Princess! he complained. "It is for the Xenolith! They fear the flame."

"Like I'm supposed to know that!" she yelled back, lowering the torch as she did.

He wrenched the torch back towards the creature.

"Torch! That way!"

Anna growled and then shrieked as she started to flail it towards the massive golem, which had been stumbling back and forth against the movement of the flames. It was mostly just a tantrum against his orders, but she was amazed at how fearful the monstrous beast was of fire. It lumbered clumsily before them, though its apparent weakness emboldened her and she struck a heroic pose in the wake of her advantage. "Hah! Scared of a little fire, huh? Fine! Take this!" she yelled, hurling the torch forward, where it landed in a small puddle of water on the cave floor and went out, leaving them only a dim blue light.

Embarrassed, she put her fingers to her lips as Yasha gawked in utter shock.

"Oops."

The piercing scream of the Xenolith shattered the air as it set on them, now unfazed by their light. She didn't know what was more terrifying, the fact that she could barely see the ominous red glow of the monster as it crashed towards them or the fact that she would meet her end with some ominous stranger, but her fear didn't discriminate. In her heart, she wanted Elsa to arrive and save her with her magic, or for Kristoff to ride in and pull her away at the last second. In the dark and frightened, she clawed her hands out for some kind of support against her fate, but didn't even find the touch of her mysterious kidnapper.

A bright light suddenly stung her eyes and heat seared her skin, making her wince and cover her face with her arm. The shrieking of the Xenolith filled the air and made her brave the piercing light, but what she found took her breath away. Yasha stood before her, his hand outstretched and a wave of beautiful flame fanning out towards the monster. It took a moment to realize it but she discovered that he wasn't waving a new torch or using some other kind of tool – he was creating the fire from his hand. He was calling the fire. He was controlling it. She had been accustomed to seeing Elsa use her magic, but this magic was something different, something more primal. It didn't sparkle like her ice, but roared out like hellfire, and it struck fear into her as she looked on.

In that moment, she realized that this mysterious man from the kingdom of Fria wielded fire as Elsa wielded ice, and she suddenly felt even more dread for his proclaimed task to kill her.

With the wave of fire filling every corner of the cavern with light, the Xenolith stumbled wildly and fled, crashing through the caves until nothing could be heard of it. Yasha's flames slowly died down until the cave was once more dim, aside from a few errant pyres that survived on the ground around them. With the last of his flame disappearing from his hand, he looked around, making sure there would be no more surprise visits from the ancient denizens of the caves. Inwardly, he cursed having to do something so unnecessary. Using his magic in front of the princess gave away a tactical advantage he would need when facing her sister, even though he knew he could never be careless around a Xenolith. Still, he had taken great care to keep his secrets, and now he would have to face her, knowing she would have nothing but more questions.

Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through his chest. He hacked loudly and lurched forward, clutching his chest. Breathing heavily, he glared at the stone floor, sweat dripping from his nose and his chest on fire. He spat in indignation at the inferno that raged within.

"It is getting worse," he moaned quietly.

Anna was shocked. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, placing her hand across his back. At his chest, she could see a pale, red glow and thought that he had set his clothes on fire, but the way he clawed his hands over them meant it was something deeper than burning cloth. It was like his very heart was on fire.

After a few moments of attending to him, the glow faded away and his pain seemed to subside. While that relived her, he suddenly then tore his shoulder away and stumbled a few steps away to get out of her comforting reach.

"I am fine," he growled.

She could tell he was lying, but something at her feet suddenly caught her attention. It was another torch sticking out of his dropped robes. Grabbing it, she stabbed it into one of the dying fires and filled the area with light once more, something he didn't seem to appreciate. Swallowing her fear, she moved towards him anyway, her eyes filled with worry and her voice soft.

"You don't look fine," she observed.

Her persistence agitated him. "You need not concern yourself," he gasped, holding a hand out to stop her approach. Still remembering their conflict over his quest against Elsa, she thought that she might be next victim of his flame, but when he simply used the chance to catch his breath, she felt a sigh of relief escape her lips. "It will pass."

Anna watched him tensely. The revelation of his ability shed a whole new light on their situation and she no longer felt this could be resolved with some simple conversation, but as she had just met the second person that could use ancient magic, her fascination with him continued and she became bolder in light of his weakened state.

"What was magic, wasn't it?" she asked, then listening to his standard silence in response. "Who are you?"

Yasha shuddered, though she couldn't tell if it was from the pain or her question. He avoided her with his eyes, then tore the torch from her hand harshly, making her yelp in surprise. His voice was once more cold and he did all he could to appear as the villain she expected. "A cursed man with a cursed task. Let that be the end of it," he wheezed and tried to stagger back towards their fated path. His determination to continue on made her scowl, amazed he would toss her around with such abandon. Threatening her sister was the fastest way to offend her, though in light of his dangerous abilities, she was reluctant to try anything against him. Instead, she would appeal to his humanity, the part of him that was obviously susceptible to her.

"No way. I'm not going anywhere as long as you want to hurt Elsa. If that's what you planned when you took me from my home, I'll do whatever it takes to stop you," she said, crossing her arms stubbornly.

Flashing in anger and exhausted, he suddenly whirled, taking a step toward her. "Do not force me to harm you, Princess! This is beyond you. You will return to your kingdom unharmed. That is your role," he seethed. There was a terrible look on his face and she could see the most exotic ring of orange in his eyes, something that should have frightened and intrigued her, but as she stared back fearlessly, she showed that she wouldn't be intimidated anymore.

If she was to be at his mercy, she would do it on her own terms.

"No. You're just going to have to harm me," she claimed, although her voice was a little shaky.

Yasha flared. "No!" he yelled, turning from her to direct his heated eyes into the shadows. "I will not sacrifice one kingdom to save another."

Once more his comments didn't seem directed at her.

"What does that mean, Yasha?" she asked, using his name for the first time in an effort to reach him.

He didn't answer, but just stared into the darkness.

Anna's interest continued to grow. Nothing he said made sense to her, but she could see the turmoil and the contradictions between his intent and his moral compass. The way he struggled made her sympathize with him, even as he still sought to commit the ultimate sin against her. While she would never let him harm her sister, she had neither the power nor the heart to make good on her threats, for he was as complicated a villain as any she had known and she was struggling to find reasons to hate him.

As they faced off over Elsa's fate, she slowly realized something that gave her a great advantage. For some reason, he was doing all he could to keep her safe from the dangers around her, and that included himself. He had the motivation and ability to force her to obey, but he hadn't once tried to hurt her in order to do so, making her again suspect that he wasn't this terrible creature he presented himself to be. It took her a few moments of thinking, but she began to unravel the motives behind his actions as her heart sought ways to vindicate him. "If you just wanted Elsa, you could have burned the castle to the ground with your magic. But you didn't. Is that's why you're bringing me here? To lure Elsa away, where no one else can get hurt?" she said, trying to bait him into opening up to her. He was silent still, but her eyes were moving around as she tore the mystery from him, finding his silence compelling. "I don't think you're a bad person, Yasha. So why are you doing this? Why Elsa?"

His hand clenched at his side as he stared into the shadows beyond the light, furious at her attempts to reason with him. This princess was proving as treacherous as any monster, for while he wanted to dismiss her questions and walk forward down his path, he couldn't stop himself from answering, and waiting to see how she would stop him.

"It is my task," he replied.

"That's not good enough for me. And I don't think that's good enough for you either. So what's the real reason? Who's given you this task?" she pressed, stepping towards him.

Yasha was seething, his shame and remorse barely hidden from her. He regretted becoming so friendly with her, though his sheer loneliness and her penchant for talk had overwhelmed him. He couldn't remember the last time he had spoken so intimately with anyone, but this only made his self-loathing grow. Strangely, he feared how powerful she was at connecting with others and how she had cut into him so quickly.

The princess of Arendelle had a strange power, as her sister did, but Anna's magic was her heart. He found it more formidable than any other magic he had known.

"It was..."

In the midst of his admissions, a distant wail in the caves grabbed their attention and broke him from his trance. Anna wasn't sure what the sound was, but he knew instantly. The respite, as unwanted as it was, would be cut short if any of the other ancient creatures of the caves decided to fallow the clamor, and he didn't want to linger any longer, especially with her cunning drive to find the truth in his heart. He used it to save himself from the kindness in hers.

"This place is not safe. The Xenolith may return, and I may not have the strength to repel it. Only in my grotto will we find time to rest," he explained, turning back to her with a pressed look in his eyes. "I will tell you what you wish, knowing it will not change our fate. But consider one thing; this path leads to fire and ice, and the unrequited hatred you will bear for me. I have spent a lifetime in anticipation for my task. Could you possibly dissuade me after a single conversation, Princess?"

She stared into his cold eyes. It was chilling how beautifully he could speak while prophesizing such cruelty. This man was turning into something far more terrifying than a Xenolith, though his contradictions still tangled her up. While anyone who threatened Elsa deserved her ire, she was trying to find a reason to doubt him, for something picked away at this image he tried to project, something she had seen in those moments between his cruelty and design. At once, she understood how she could help Elsa with no one getting hurt, though the idea seemed daunting. Yet as it was a simple matter of using everything she had to protect her sister, she felt confident, and wanted to unravel the noose of fate he held around his neck. She decided to steer him from this terrible path he walked, not by magic or weapons, but by the simple act of digging through the despair that she saw in his eyes, no matter how deeply he buried himself in it.

She would deny him the benefit of her hatred.

He didn't yet deserve it.

"I guess we'll find out. Lead on."


	4. Shadows and Doubts

**IV**

Shadows And Doubts

"You see, Elsa, I don't think I can be Arendelle's Ice Master anymore," Kristoff said despairingly, pacing back in forth in front of his halted sled. His hat was wrung between his hands and he was sweating heavily, not just from the warmer air of the Weeping Valley but from the torturous thoughts at his lips and the way they might offend his audience. His face was twisted and his eyes darted up from his feet and back, afraid to linger anywhere too long. While he had practiced this speech for days, it felt like climbing a completely different mountain when speaking it out loud. "But it's not you. It's me, really. I mean, who needs a guy to fetch ice from the high mountains when the queen can make it magically appear with a flick of her hand? I've spent my life wading through snowdrifts and sleeping in snow caves, all to learn how to do a single thing. Then…wham!"

A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he wilted forward.

"Your best suddenly doesn't matter."

He listened to the silence for a moment, anxiously waiting for a response. The lack of one made him brave the silence and glance to Olaf, smirking.

"That bad, huh?" he sighed.

The snowman was twiddling his twigs together and trying his best to construct a criticism for the speech. "It wasn't really not good?" he suggested, laughing nervously.

Kristoff groaned and continued wringing his hat, feeling confident that no matter how much he practiced it and how deeply he trenched the snow, it would always come out pathetic. After all, everything he said made him feel pathetic. "Ugh, how would you explain to the queen that you're basically useless because of her magic?" he sighed, once more feeling aggravated that all of the things he did best seemed inconsequential compared to the extraordinary nature of Anna's sister.

Olaf found the question odd, as he only existed because of Elsa's magic.

Just as he was groaning further, Elsa approached them from the rocky terrain ahead, an air of cold surrounding her. Ever since setting out with them, she had been slipping further into the dark thoughts about Anna's kidnappers, silently brooding over what she would do to them. It made it difficult to think of anything else. "I think I've found the path," she said, something clenched tightly in her hands. Kristoff instantly straightened at her appearance and his ears burned, wondering if she had caught any of his speech.

Olaf was oblivious and simply waved. "Oh hey, Elsa. Kristoff was just talking about how useless…" he began when Kristoff slapped a massive glove across his face, cutting him off.

He smiled sheepishly at Elsa as her brow twisted. "How useless…?"

"How useless…uhm, the sled is now that the snow ends. Yep! Going to have to go on foot from here," he replied quickly, looking at the slushy snow as it faded away completely in the depths of the valley. In the face of her glowering mood, he was terrified of presenting his speech to her, realizing that Olaf was probably not the best audience he could have picked to practice on considering the snowman's blatant lack of common sense.

Still distracted by her own thoughts, Elsa followed his eyes into the foul colors of the valley and scowled. The lack of snow and ice disturbed her. This place was foreign and frightful. It was like the darkness and squalor of a villain's heart.

"What a terrible place," she remarked.

While she gazed at their destination, Kristoff's eyes had wandered down to the strip of colorful material in her hands, feeling as if he had seen something like it before. "What is that?" he asked, feeling unable to really appreciate what it meant.

She was brought back to the world and looked to her hands, where she had been twisting the material tightly between her fingers. When she first saw it, she instantly recognized it as part of the dress Anna had been wearing, its ripped condition fueling the burning in her chest and the darkness in her heart. Her eyes scoured the way the edges of the cloth had been cut cleanly, but left jagged patterns, as if it had been removed under duress. "It's Anna's. It was tied to a tree next to a path that leads into the valley," she whispered, not able to hide the fury within her, "They're showing us the way." Even the warmer temperatures of the valley failed against the wrath of the Snow Queen and the snow began to encroach further onto the rocks, turning the black and yellow of the place to blue and white as a testament to how ruthless her judgment would be. Just the thought of Anna's clothing being torn from her made her blood hot and her powers flared as a reaction.

It was difficult keeping calm.

Although Kristoff would have been the first to try and stave off her dangerous mood and the ruthless cold that came with it, he was also suffering his emotions and stared at the strip of cloth, imagining much the same things. It heated his blood even hotter than hers as he abruptly turned and began unfastening Sven's harness.

"Let's go then," he barked anxiously.

As they descended into the valley, Kristoff walked ahead with his eyes on the area around them, his instincts clear despite the anger burning him. He had only skirted the edge of the valley through his years of living in the mountains and now he was glad he had at least some knowledge of the area. There were signs of danger all around, from the loose shale underfoot to the pitiless, saw-toothed rocks that lingered below the trail. His instincts allowed them to avoid the danger and a part of him was glad to be useful to the queen, even as he could barely think of anything except getting to Anna, while Elsa's bad mood created an air of silence around them, which began to distract him back to his buried concerns and just how helpless he felt in the face of her seemingly limitless capacities.

His heart was as jagged as the rocks underfoot, but twice as unstable.

Approaching a chasm, he suddenly waved everyone to stop and looked across the gap. He wondered if they had lost the path, but looking out to the other side, he saw a natural run heading farther into the valley, making him wonder if there were simply more than one way to get to where they were going. While his mind was in flux with the torrent of thoughts about Anna and Elsa, he came to the realization that they wouldn't simply be able to stroll along to find the abducted princess, and that he had to be focused on the path itself to find its end.

In that, he found a measure of peace.

"Hang on. It'll take a minute to make an over-under. Then we can cross," he said, rummaging through his satchel for some rope.

He was suddenly eager to demonstrate his skill, realizing this might be a way he could stand apart, but Elsa suddenly walked past him and thrust her hand out at the chasm, making a perfectly frozen bridge arch over the gap to the other side.

She said nothing as she continued on.

Kristoff stared on pathetically as Olaf and Sven followed her, his head drooping and a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "Oh, right."

The four of them continued on, quieted by the colors, sounds and heat of the place. Both Elsa and Kristoff moved with caustic expressions, neither of them speaking even as Olaf provided unending commentary about the howling wind and stained rocks. While not oblivious to the mood of his companions, he felt obligated to keep the air lively, even in light of their purpose, with the expectation of finding Anna safe and sound, and everything resolved without incident.

Though as they went, he suddenly slowed and furrowed his brow. "Hey guys? Is it just me or is this place getting kind of soggy and wobbly?" he asked.

Kristoff turned to find him strolling ever deeper into a puddle of his own making. "Elsa! Olaf's melting!" he yelled. She had been preoccupied, but his alarm made her turn and see the dire situation. Quickly flicking her hand out, her magic swirled around the snowman and turned him back to normal, with his usual flurry popping up overhead. A sigh of relief settled over them, but soon the heat of the valley overcame the flurry and Olaf began to melt again, much to his despair.

"Uhm, maybe a little more flurry?" he suggested.

Elsa appeared annoyed and flashed both hands at him, returning him back to normal again and this time supported by a much bigger, much darker flurry. It blew freezing air over him and he retained his shape even against the stifling heat of the valley. Kristoff had his eyes on her, concerned at how she simply resolved the situation with more power, but Olaf was overjoyed at the squall that hung over his head. "My flurry's become a tempest! I love it," he cheered.

Elsa didn't seem her usual self and glared down at her hands, wondering how her flurry would protect him on the hottest summer day, yet did nothing against the unnatural heat of this place. The mystery only irritated her more and she turned to continue on, flipping her dress angrily behind her.

"Queen Elsa?" Kristoff said, following her cautiously. She didn't answer and barely looked back to him. Feeling his feet slip a bit, he glanced at the trail of frozen ground that followed behind her, sensing that her mood was eager to seize the world around them in angry fractals of ice and revenge. His worry compounded over his doubt and despair. "Are you all right?"

"No, I'm not all right," she suddenly growled, her eyes looking around for another sign of the path and her mood slowly drifting away from her, "Anna's being dragged around this awful place by some person who's slowly tearing the dress off of her. Why would I be all right?"

He understood that and winced, but he was getting more concerned at the blunt usage of her magic and couldn't help but glance at Olaf's new tempest. He didn't know why, but it worried him. "Look, I'm worried too, but getting angry won't bring her back any faster. You have to calm down," he pointed out.

"I am calm!" she suddenly yelled and a flash of her magic sent a frozen wind through the wiry trees around them, freezing them into fearsome creatures with frozen spines and spindly claws. He jumped at her fit and glanced around. She was obviously not as calm as she claimed to be as she turned on him, her eyes on fire. "Why are you so calm? Why aren't you angry? Don't you care what happens to Anna?" she hissed.

Kristoff winced. Having his feelings questioned hit him brutally and he looked down from her, not because he questioned them but because her lack of faith in him only furthered his own self-doubt. But as much as he had been struggling lately, there was definitely one thing he didn't doubt.

He didn't doubt his love for Anna. Not even for a moment.

"More than anything," he replied, and his eyes rose against her accusations.

His expression struck her and she realized how cruel she had been. While it had been very difficult in controlling her emotions, she realized that lashing out at someone who also loved Anna got them no closer to helping her and that she had been unfair. She stepped back, rubbing her hands together and taking a few shaky breaths, wondering why she had been so vicious. "I'm sorry, Kristoff. I didn't mean…" she began, but couldn't even finish her apology. There was too much anger building up in her and seeing something of Anna tied so carelessly around the tree had churned up something dark inside. All she could think about was using her powers to make the kidnappers suffer.

It felt like only the anger mattered now, and that frightened her down to her very core.

Seeing her distress, he stepped forward and put his strong hands across her slumping shoulders. "Look, I'm angry. I'm scared. Anna is everything to me and knowing she's gone makes me crazier than you can even imagine. I'm fighting the urge to run forward with everything I have, but none of that matters if I can't find the way that leads me to her. None of that matters if I'm too angry to know how to bring her back," he said.

Elsa gnashed her hands, terrified of the feelings inside her. "I'm scared, Kristoff," she whispered, "If I were to lose her, I…"

"That won't happen," he said quickly.

She trembled. "How do you know?"

His lips pursed. It wasn't the sort of question he could answer with words, but rather something he could only answer with his heart. "I just know," he replied, though it did little to assuage the fear in her eyes, "It's nothing I can explain to you, and I can't tell you how I'll find her or how I know she'll be okay when we do. All I know is I could never let anything happen to Anna, and that I'll do everything I can to save her," he replied confidently.

Elsa let out a shaky breath. She still felt the fury boiling deep inside, but she would borrow his strength and focus of the path, finding that his strong hands and his strong heart were almost enough to defeat the fears she still had. Inwardly, she didn't know what she would do when she finally confronted those that took anna, but that was a bridge she would cross later, and she wasn't sure any amount of comforting words would calm her rage then.

For the moment, she just had to trust him.

"Thank you," she said.

He was glad he was able to calm her down, but soon realized how close they were standing and that he was touching the queen intimately. He awkwardly jumped back and held his hands out between them, as if to defend himself from some unknown consequence of assuming too much with her. "Thank _you_. I mean, you're welcome. I mean, you're the queen and everything, so of course I'd do whatever you ask of me, but that's not why I'm going to save Anna or anything. I'd do that, you know, because of that other thing. Me and her…that whole thing," he stuttered incoherently. She kept looking at him, still vulnerable and unsure, though his sudden awkwardness made her almost smile. She was glad he was trying to console her, but she couldn't shake off her emotions or the dread she harbored when thinking of Anna's fate.

With a sigh, she simply wished that she shared his confidence.

"Hey Elsa! Kristoff! Up ahead there's this big hole in the ground. You know, like a big, dark hole in the side of the rocks that leads inside?" Olaf suddenly said, coming into sight on Sven's back.

"A cave?" Kristoff asked, glad to get a break from his awkward exchange with Elsa.

The snowman nodded vigorously. "Oh, yeah! One of those," he replied.

Finding a way out of their situation, Kristoff glanced to Elsa and then moved around her, though he was already feeling anxious at the prospect of going underground. With her in tow, they came into sight of the large hole, feeling like they were staring into the open jaws of a terrifying animal. A hot wind blew out from the jowls of the earth and it was foul with sulfur.

He didn't like caves, as certified by the way he grumbled at the sight of the hole. "Great. Just great."

Not paying attention to his anxiety, Elsa noticed something blowing carelessly in the wind coming from the cave and moved reverently to the side. Reaching out slowly, her fingers caressed yet another strip of Anna's dress, a grimace overtaking her face. After a moment, she noticed he was watching her and she slipped her fingers from the material, feeling the old anger come back. "It leads inside," she said, looking to the dark depths.

"Of course it would," he mumbled, rubbing his forehead harshly, "Down into the dark. Rocks everywhere. No air to breathe. The ceiling waiting to come down on you at any moment."

Elsa once more caught on to his anxiety, but said nothing.

With no other options and in spite of his obvious reaction, they entered the caves and continued to follow the path. Each sign of Anna's clothing brought a new level of tension among them and now even Kristoff was having trouble focusing. Oddly, he had no trouble with digging out a snow cave to survive in the cold winter, but caves of rock had always bothered him. He much preferred the open skies of the mountains.

"Just a cave. A nice, big, open cave with lots of room and no tumbling rocks burying you up to your nose," he chanted as they trudged along. Elsa had been watching him, feeling that she should probably try and help him relax.

Before she had the chance, she began to notice a strange sound filling the cave ahead. It was decidedly different than the low moan of the wind coming through the rock and it sent a wave of chills through her, making her attention shift solely to it. "What is that?" she asked, coming to a grinding halt on the sandy floor.

With the queen stopped, everyone else did the same, looking around the dim caverns and ancient pillars of stone. "Did it sound like a pile of rocks sliding towards us?" Kristoff asked nervously. Again there was a strange, tonal sound filling the caves accompanied by the grind of rocks grinding against one another, something that put Kristoff further on edge. It was the tonal sounds that struck Elsa however, and she tilted her head to try and focus on it.

"No, it sounded like that," she replied.

As the clamor continued, the group was on edge and Sven's ears danced all around, trying to isolate the source. Elsa instinctively raised her hands out and scanned the dark recesses of the caves, but found nothing that would make such a terrible sound. The anticipation hung in the air heavily and she fearfully wondered if they would suddenly find the criminals they sought, rushing the inevitable decision she would have to make when she finally laid eyes upon them.

In truth, she realized she was utterly unprepared for that moment.

She still had no idea what she would do to Anna's kidnappers.

Suddenly, a large, bulky form crashed into the cavern and screeched with a pitched whine, shattering the tension and throwing the atmosphere to chaos. The Xenolith looked as if it were fleeing something even more terrifying than it was and it was stumbling around violently like a child in the dark, though when it focused on Elsa, it suddenly reacted even more violently, flaring out sharp claws and shrieking loudly.

"What is that?" she cried, jumping back.

Kristoff grimaced as he looked up the rocky body of the creature, his hand instantly grabbing his snow axe. "Never seen that before!" he yelled back, trying to take a heroic position between it and the others.

"Maybe he's a nice rock monster?" Olaf suggested hopefully, but the Xenolith suddenly howled and took a swing at them with its massive, clawed hand, making them scatter to avoid being torn to pieces.

"I'm guessing that's a no!" Kristoff replied as he rolled to his feet, then took a quick look around to see if Elsa was okay.

Without warning, a flash of light filled the cave as a blue, frozen crust formed over the creature's arm. Another flash of light froze the creature's leg to the ground and it screeched loudly, trying to thrash at them but finding that the thick ice had rendered it unable to move. Elsa had taken the offensive and repelled the creature, her expression strangely focused as she attacked. Seeing her magic deftly stop the creature from its attack, Kristoff clenched a fist through the air.

"Hah! Got him!" he cheered.

To their disappointment however, the Xenolith strained against the ice, making it crack and groan, then violently pulled its leg free and stumbled around to them, obviously not as vulnerable to her magic as they had hoped. Elsa winced and attempted to freeze the entire creature with both hands, changing it from a looming black monster into a frosted blue statue. Even then, the ice around its joints cracked free and the creature was able to lurch forward towards them, unfazed by something that would have otherwise stopped anything else in its tracks. Its immunity to her magic made her panic and she took a frantic step back.

"It's not working!" she cried.

With a direct attack useless, she changed her tactics and suddenly swirled her hand up through the air, causing a large, bulky snowmen to rise up from the ground before the creature, nearly as tall and just as fearsome. The Xenolith appeared confused for a moment, but soon saw this enemy as nothing more than an obstacle to its prey, branding its fierce claws at it with a harrowing shriek. The snowman lunged forward and grappled the Xenolith, wrapping its massive arms around the black rock. It forced the black creature back away from its master, though after a moment of struggling the Xenolith regained its footing and howled in rage. With unprecedented strength, it cut down with its black claws and sliced deeply into the snowman, which roared out in response. The razor-sharp edges of rock twisted inside of the snow, with the Xenolith then lifting the snowman above its head before smashing its other claw into its head, shattering the frigid ice, then throwing the white golem against the nearest wall, making it shatter into pieces that instantly began to melt on the heated rocks all around.

The massive Xenolith howled its dominance at its melting foe, then turned its attention back to the group.

Elsa grimaced. "What do we do?!" she cried, thrusting her hands forward and trying to overpower the creature with a concentrated blast of magic. It was holding it at bay for the moment, but it was obviously draining Elsa as well. She had never focused so much of her power before, finding that using it to outright attack was unnatural for her.

In the helplessness of the moment, Kristoff was trying to think. Frantically looking around with his axe in hand, he once more felt entirely useless as she was trying to fend off the creature, unsure how to attack something so formidable. Even her magic could do little against it and he felt like all of his knowledge and skills were meaningless, driving more corrosive doubt through him at the worst time.

When Anna and Elsa both needed him, all he could do was stand there and watch, frozen in place.

As her icy magic continued to freeze the solid parts of the creature but get broken away at its joints, he suddenly snapped out of his daze, watching the way the ice acted against the crystalline body of the Xenolith. In the back of his mind, he was seeing things that not many others would see and the sounds of its body creaking against the cold made his heart race, as if the creature was suddenly speaking his language. He stared intently and adjusted the axe in his hand, feeling empowered by his reasoning of the creature's nature and its weaknesses.

"Keep freezing it!" he yelled, suddenly rushing away from her precarious position and skidding to the side of them. Her concentration wavered a moment as he retreated and the lull in her focus made the golem stumble forward through her magic, though she quickly renewed her push.

"It isn't working!" she cried again, taking a step back.

"Just a little more!" he yelled, still dancing around the two as he passed the axe from hand to hand, his eyes searching every inch of the creature. She had no idea what he was doing. The strain made her knees wobble and she suddenly took another step back, where her heel hit a buried rock and she stumbled backwards uncontrollably. Hitting the ground harshly and her magic no longer keeping the creature at bay, she looked up in a panic to find it crashing towards her, screeching with its terrible, tonal sounds and reaching out a terrifying claw to seize her. With her magic useless against it, she lifted her hands up to defend herself, realizing it was futile and that her flesh and bone would be crushed in its terrible grasp.

"There!" Kristoff suddenly called and the axe came hurling through the air.

While seeming useless against the hard body of the golem, the metal head of the axe struck it in an unimportant spot and caused it to abruptly stop its charge, like a pebble stopping a charging bull. A strange, resonating tone was vibrating through its body and its limbs began to shake well out of control. Soon enough, cracks began to appear and its limbs were now flailing through the air, the stress of the movements only exaggerating the growing fissures and causing shards of black rock to spray into the cave. The resonance soon violently shattered the Xenolith's body and it crumbled into a screeching pile in front of Elsa, who was staring in disbelief at the effect of such a simple blow. The two yellow eyes and the ethereal red markings disappeared from the depths of its rocky body and soon it no longer moved at all.

The Xenolith was beaten.

"Queen Elsa! Are you all right?" he asked, hurrying over to help her to her feet.

Her shoulders rose and fell wildly as she tried to catch her breath, though even as she still felt the saturation of fear in her, seeing such a formidable creature fall such a simple thing made a smile pulse across her lips as her breath forcefully pierced them.

"That was amazing!" she said, suddenly looking to him with an impressed gasp, "How did you do that?"

He was surprised by her response, but scratched at his hat with a nervous hand as he shrugged dismissively. "Oh, well even the hardest ice has weak spots. Fracture points and shear planes are some of the first things you learn to look for, especially when walking onto a frozen lake for the first time. This thing was built sort of like ice anyway, but with you essentially making it into a giant ice crystal, I was able to find those weak spots. The harder it is, the easier it shatters," he explained, looking down at the lifeless, frozen fragments.

Elsa was impressed. Secretly, she had patronized Kristoff's skills and had given him his title of 'Ice Master' out of respect for his bravery and his relationship with Anna. There had been no need for anyone to go get ice from the mountains when she could simply wave it into existence with her magic, however she now realized that while she commanded snow and controlled ice, he understood them on a level that she didn't. She forced it into being with her imagination and her emotions, but he saw the details in it and understood its nature. In some ways, he was more of an ice master than she ever would be. It made her look at him in a new way.

"You saved me," she said softly.

Kristoff was uncomfortable under the attention and looked around for his axe, using it as an excuse to get out of the spotlight. "Oh, come on. It's not like I could let anything happen to you. Anna would kill me," he said, which drew a weak smile from her. Finding the axe near the Xenolith, he picked it up and slipped it through the leather ring at his belt. "You're her sister, and you know, the queen too. So if we have to face all sorts of monsters like this, I guess I'll protect you both," he suggested.

With his oath calming her, she managed to let a true smile escape her troubled face. "Well then, Ice Master, I'll be counting on you then," she said warmly, not feeling as helpless against the darkness with him nearby. He nodded, fully intent on living up to her expectations and felt a surge of confidence inside. He had spent the better part of three weeks agonizing over how helpless he was in the wake of her magic, yet finding that she could still need him made his shaky hands go steady. When the time came, he would not simply be watching as Elsa's magic decided the fate of the one they loved. He would be there beside her, doing what he could to bring her back to them, safely and forever. If he could defeat a giant rock monster that not even her ancient magic could slow down, then he could save Anna from whatever foul villain had taken her.

And he would.


	5. Moments of Redox

**V**

Moments of Redox

Anna squirmed and groaned as her dress was being torn from her body. It was all she could do to keep her fingers gnashed tightly in the folds of her skirt as it wrenched harshly away, making a symphony of whimpers and suppressed objections slip away from her. Her skin was beaded with sweat and her tongue anxiously kept licking out over her pursed, dry lips. At times, her bare back would brush against the rock face and she would gasp sharply at its icy touch. The struggle made parts of her skin not meant to be viewed in polite company flash out, though as she looked down at the man that hovered at her legs, she imagined that their current situation could only be viewed as a scandalous affair.

Grunting and focused, Yasha was rough in his handling of her and his dagger was tearing through her skirt in jagged lines, making her wince at each stroke and fear an accidental slip across her skin. Her throaty whimpering and the way she writhed under his hands distracted him, making him pant impatiently a few times while he ruthlessly stripped her down.

"The tailors in your Arendelle should be commended. I have never seen such resilient cloth," he griped loudly as he wiped his sweaty chin with the back of his hand, then pulled harshly at a strip of her dress until it finally tore away. She squealed as he nearly pulled the top of her dress down past her uneasy chest, collapsing her shoulders frantically to manage the chastity of both ends of her body.

"Hey! Be careful!" she yelled as she wrenched the collar up over her shoulders again.

Finally having what he wanted, he wheezed and sat back against a stone with his head rocked back, his face covered in sweat and his eyes closed. In one hand he had new strips of her dress for the markers, in the other his black-bladed dagger rested against his leg. Prior to their cheeky affair, he had been concerned at how he would swindle her out of the dress. He had been very surprised when she simply agreed to his request, wondering what kind of princess would offer such consent.

So far, she had defied every expectation he had for her.

"My apologies, Princess, but your sister would not find the path without a bit of help," he panted.

Anna ruffled her ruined skirt and pouted, remembering how much she liked the dress before he shredded it. For the time being, she understood his reasons for marking their route, even if the entire purpose was hard to swallow. The caves were expansive and dangerous, leading off in innumerable directions, disappearing into dark crevasses and spiraling dead ends. Elsa could easily get lost as she tried to follow them. As counterintuitive as it seemed, she did want Elsa to find her, but only after she had a chance to talk with the bizarre man that she was also stripping bare.

"Well, by the time we reach your place, I'll be prancing around here as naked as a jaybird," she complained. The idea suddenly made her face blush wildly and she glared at him, pressing her hands across her chest protectively.

"Don't think I'm not on to you," she warned.

Surprisingly, a tired laugh burst from his lips, as he was utterly bedazzled at how unorthodox she could be. As much as he didn't want the trouble, he was beginning to like this strange princess.

"Do not fear. I shall do my utmost best to see you arrive clothed, and untouched," he assured her.

"That's a likely story," she huffed.

Yasha once more settled as he caught his breath, while she tried to do the same. As she watched him rest, she found herself less wary, though she couldn't forget the ferocity in his eyes when he spoke of his task. He appeared far more human that before and even knowing his dark intentions, she felt like she was starting to trust him, something that blatantly defied all reason. It was still so difficult to believe that his only goal was to kill Elsa, even as she didn't doubt his resolve for a moment. It was his heart that she suspected, and she felt that if she could only appeal to the person he really was before he had a chance to lift his hand against her sister, everything would turn out fine.

It was a lofty goal, but she was a lofty princess.

Trying to figure out her course, her eyes wandered down to the dagger he held. The strange markings that moved across the blade fascinated her. It was unlike any blade she had ever seen. After a moment, she found she no longer feared it and pressed her lips together, deciding to gamble on the rapport they had developed. Taking a deep breath, she carefully approached him and slowly knelt at his side. Her closeness visibly made his body tighten and his eyes slowly opened, losing the humor they had shared. She fought down her anxiety, pursing her lips in uncertainty, and moved forward.

"So, weird question but can I have a closer look at that? I promise not to go all stabby on you or anything," she asked impishly, gesturing towards the weapon in his hand and remembering their last exchange with the blade.

"You know, again."

He glared at her in a guarded manner, the blade tapping against his leg a few times. He didn't instantly deny her, though he couldn't fathom her reasoning. A captive princess didn't ask her kidnapper for his dagger, at least not in any story he had ever heard. Any self-respecting criminal would have laughed at her or worse, yet her impish smile and honest eyes captured him once more, making him wonder just how strange their relationship could be.

With a quick motion, he swung the dagger around, making her squeak in surprise but then stare down as the handle was presented to her. His eyes were still on hers and they showed the apprehension in his choice. She was surprised at the act of trust, yet at the same time she had expected it. Truthfully, it had been nothing more than passing fancy, both due to her interest in the exotic blade but also to see how he would react. Had he declined, it would have been the normal response, so she wasn't sure what this choice meant. Not willing to pass up the chance, she slipped her fingers around the rippled, ivory handle and pulled the dagger from his grasp, sliding the blade across his skin with an audible scrape. It was heavier than she remembered, but the blade was stunning. She held it up in front of her face and stared at the wispy red markings, trying to find where they began or ended. They seemed alive and appeared almost as smoke, swirling around in some unknown purpose and displaced from the world itself, then disappearing just as casually, as if they had never existed at all.

"It's beautiful," she said in awe.

"It is Xenocryst. Very few like it are ever forged in the heart of Fria," he explained.

"It looks just like that thing that attacked us," she said, looking past the blade to him.

His head rested against the stone behind him, though his eyes never moved from her. "You might say they are born from the same place," he replied enigmatically.

Although the position she suddenly commanded was more than any captive could hope for, her attention had drifted from the dagger. The way his eyes showed such a mixture of apprehension and coiled ferocity made the back of her neck feel hot, as if he would still devour her should she try and take advantage of the blade in her hand. Even from his reclined position, he gave off a certain pressure that warned her against taking him for granted and a quiver ran through her as the tip of the dagger slowly fell forward, coming to rest against his chest not as a threat, but as subjugation to his gaze.

"It's beautiful," she repeated, quieter this time.

Yasha was motionless with the dagger at his heart. His eyes were frighteningly calm in light of the danger, and his chest was slow in its rise and fall against the blade. For a moment, he let himself be at her mercy, though the reasoning eluded him. Every rational expectation would demand he fear the eminent thrust of the weapon, but it wasn't the danger he feared. In her, he feared the purity and honesty in her eyes, as if they were things he no longer understood. In her, he simply found grace, and it felt far more dangerous to him than any blade pointed at his heart.

In truth, he was frightened of her.

Very slowly, he reached up and carefully wrapped his hand around the black blade, his movements deliberate and focused. Between the two of them, they commanded the fate of the dagger, yet neither stirred against the other, conscious of the weight of their respective grasp. When he finally put pressure on the dagger to retrieve it, she finally blinked and released her grip, sitting back silently and trying to understand what had just happened. Carrying the same reflections in his eyes, he placed the handle with the remnant of her dress and finally stirred, scraping himself up from the rock, moving rigidly and slow. His eyes stayed on her the entire time and he reached back to slip the dagger into his belt, his breathing heavy and his eyes torn.

He wasn't sure what had happened either, but was eager to move on from it.

"Onward, Princess," he said, his voice quieter and distinctly softer now.

Looking up for a moment, she shook off her wandering mood and rose to her feet, forgetting the dress and forgetting the dagger. At his bidding, she went with him, quietly and feeling strangely aware of looking in his direction. She noticed, for the first time, that he hadn't simply walked on and left her to follow. He was inviting her to come near and that gave her hope as she digested their peculiar rapport, though she was anxious to arrive at his grotto and hear him finally tell her of himself and of his task.

The key to protecting Elsa was getting him to reveal his heart, and that was at the forefront of her mind as they continued on.


	6. The Exile

**VI**

The Exile

After what seemed like forever since her abduction from Arendelle, Yasha escorted Anna into his grotto, a cavernous room set deep within the caves and sparkling with the slivers of his life. The strange, glowing moss that lined the caves was brighter here and the grotto was lit up like the grand ballroom of a castle. There was a pool of crystal clear water and hundreds of spiky rock formations on the ceiling, ringed with the glowing moss like ancient chandeliers. On a flat plateau of stone there was a rough collection of broken furniture and a roll of fur bedding, showing that he possessed only the bare minimum of amenities needed to survive, but for the assortment of old and tattered books that were lumped together in a partially collapsed bookcase. While remarkable in natural beauty, there was a lonely feel to the place, feeling less like a room and more like a cell.

It was obvious that he had lived there a very long time.

"Welcome to my home," he said unceremoniously, walking towards the bedding area and tossing his heavy robes down upon it.

Anna was awed. Despite the dank nature of the cavern, the bluish light that filled the place gave it a strange sort of beauty, and she felt almost like she was dancing as she slowly twirled, looking all around. Oddly, she felt as if she would love to live in a place like this, bathed in that light and listening to the water fall. The crystal pool caught her attention and she licked her dry lips, remembering that they had been traveling for a long distance with very little supplies. The water appeared more beautiful than any she had ever seen. "Water! Oh, finally!" she cried, running forward and dropping by the pool. She began to scoop it up to her lips and relish in the feeling of it running down her throat.

"The water is poisonous," he remarked, not turning as he separated various items from his robes, including a well-worn bamboo flute.

The news made her spray water from her mouth and begin coughing wildly, turning to him with fearful eyes and her tongue hanging out. "Poisonous?" she repeated, her extended tongue garbling the word.

He glanced at her, a perverse smirk on his face. "A jest."

Her eyes narrowed and her shoulders fell, revealing that his little prank didn't amuse her nearly as much as it did him. "Oh, you're so not funny," she snorted. He muffled a chuckle and continued to organize his things. The water in her nose was still burning as she dried her face with her skirt, though the joke did seem to light pathways to resolving the differences between them. The more he opened up, the easier it would be to convince him against going after Elsa, though she still had no idea how she was going to parley some mercy from his resolute eyes.

As she continued to grouse, she soon found a strangely warm sensation tickling the backs of her hands and her forehead. Still unnerved by their encounter with the Xenolith, she slowly opened her eyes and found something remarkable, surprising her so much that she didn't even flinch. Floating inches from her nose was a ball of fire, but not a ball of fire at all. It was shaped like a small girl, with vague details in its body and an annoyed glimmer to its glow. It was glaring at her intently with a pair of glowing eyes and Anna blinked a few times, wondering if she was seeing things.

"Uhm, Yasha…?" she said, still unable to blink.

"So you're the bait," the creature suddenly said in a voice that dripped with displeasure.

"Bait?" Anna repeated, a bit offended.

"Behave yourself, Sid. She is a princess and a guest," Yasha said sternly as he approached them, though his attention was focused on the sprite. The small creature floated a bit closer to Anna, still scrutinizing her and her apparent role in all of this, and was obviously not afraid to share her mind.

"She looks like bait," she huffed.

Anna was once again offended, furrowing her brows as she tried to figure what she was and why she had this apparent grudge against her. She was pretty sure she had never done anything to warrant the sprite's anger. "Who…and what is this?" she asked Yasha, leaning back slightly from the heat coming from the figure.

He let out a sigh at their introduction, though he had already planned on the sprite to be gruff and defensive. It was simply her nature. "Her name is Sid. She is…" he began, shifting his eyes over as he assessed her treatment of their guest, "Noisy and ill-mannered."

The sprite flared at his choice of words and stabbed her small hands onto her hips. "How rude!" she glowered, then spun back to Anna, showing that while she was annoyed by many aspects of Yasha's plan, she was most put off by the fact he had chosen to bring the pilfered princess back to their home, "Listen, girly, what I am is the only woman Yasha needs. Always has been, always will be. So don't get any ideas rolling through that pretty little head of yours. You're just bait. Bait bait bait."

Anna kept staring, her mouth hanging open. "Uhm, okay?"

Yasha watched the exchange with another sigh and tried to push back his hair from his face, wishing he could take a moment to clean up his gritty appearance. It was whittling his temper to a fine edge, as was his fiery companion. "She is something born from my magic, many years ago. Strangely, she never dispersed like my other flames, possibly due to her extreme stubbornness," he explained. The remark made Sid zip in front of him and cross her small arms dramatically, totally offended by his explanation.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," she pouted.

Anna followed the sprite with her eyes, amazed at how effortlessly she sailed through the air. Her magical nature made her wonder just what else he was capable of and she suddenly found a parallel in Elsa's magic. It brightened her expression. "She's just like Olaf," she said, smiling slightly as she found their first real connection. If she could only find more of them, it would be infinitely easier to dissuade him from his task.

Yasha thought for a moment. "If you mean that annoying creature born from the Snow Queen's powers, then yes, she is just like that," he replied.

Anna's mind was working away as she looked at Sid, both about her extraordinary nature and origins. She realized that his powers really were like Elsa's, able to create living things out of nothing. Thinking of these things reminded her of his promise and she shifted her eyes over to him, feeling the inexorable pull of her heart in finding out how she could reach him. "You said you'd tell me everything, about you and your powers," she reminded him.

Her reminder made his eyes darken, giving him the same despotic aura of when they had first met.

"I have not forgotten," he conceded.

"You don't have to tell the bait anything," Sid objected, but was quieted by a sharp glance from him.

"This discussion is not for you. You have a task. Now go," he said, nodding his head to the side to both remove her and serve the next part of his plan. She tried to object, wary about leaving them alone together, but ultimately just scowled and zipped away into the caves, leaving an angry orange trail behind her.

Seeing the sprite leave and realizing he was at the mercy of his own promises, he sighed as his eyes moved back to Anna, and then walked over to a stone near the pool of water, perching himself on it and knitting his hands across his pursed lips. It was obvious he didn't want this conversation, but was obligated to keep his word. His eyes were fiercely upon her and he spoke gruffly, gesturing his hands to offer whatever she might want to know.

"Ask your questions."

With free reign on him, she suddenly realized she had no idea what to ask. There were too many things she wanted to know, though she didn't know where to begin, ironic considering before she had him there it was nothing but questions. A dozen half-formed words escaped as sighs over her lips, but nothing seemed to come out in full. She was starting to get annoyed with herself.

"Tell me about your magic," she finally said, Sid burning brightly in her mind. It wasn't what he expected her first question to be, though he accepted that in the grand scheme of things, it was the most fitting place to begin.

"The FireHeart," he replied.

"The FireHeart?" she echoed, looking confused.

He nodded, a deep reverence glowing in his eyes. "The FireHeart is deep within the volcano of Fria. It is a magical and ancient thing, a great sphere of magic, and there are those that are born who are touched by its power. We command the ancient magic, the ancient flame," he explained, raising out his hand and letting a small flame grow brightly in his palm. In the face of his amazing power, she leaned forward, staring deeply into the swaying flame, feeling free to fawn over it. It was still thrilling to see.

"Those that are touched by its power?" she asked, wondering if there were more people just like him in this kingdom he spoke of. For some reason, the prospect made her heart beat faster. "How many are there like you?"

He winced, his jaw clenching as he looked to the flame as well. It was a particularly heavy subject, though he knew she would have no reason to understand why. "A few of us each generation. Of this generation," he said, closing his hand around the fire and drowning it out, "I am the last."

Seeing him extinguish the flame so bitterly, her blue eyes lifted and she found his expression remarkable. Elsa was the only other person she knew with magical powers. To hear that Fria had several people each generation with these same amazing powers made her want to learn about the origins even more, especially when he spoke so bitterly about being the last of his generation.

Something about that bothered her.

"What happened to the others?" she asked carefully.

He took a deep breath, and was careful about how much he told her. "Those touched by the Heart are revered among my people, treated as children of the mountain itself. We live in privilege and comfort, never wanting for anything, until the first day of our fifteenth year. Then, by tradition, we are banished from our home, forced to live in exile of Fria, ill-equipped to face the world and doing all we can to survive. Until the one day we are given a task, the task that allows us to return home. It is the only thing we look forward to in those forsaken years we live away from the mountain," he explained bitterly.

"But after being fed to the world, most never return to the mountain," he added after a moment.

Anna was speechless. To go from a life of utter privilege to the desolate loneliness of exile made her feel a wave of sympathy, suspecting that this hard fate was how he earned the skills that let him steal her away from the guarded castle and how he possessed such ferocious eyes. Inwardly, she wondered how anyone could do such a terrible thing to someone so young, with the mention of his task telling her that there was someone actively pushing him to take up his hand against Elsa.

That person was the one who deserved the hatred he sought from her, she realized.

"Who gives you this task?" she asked anxiously.

Now, his eyes simply burned. "Nazir, ruler of Fria. The King of the FireHeart," he replied.

Both the name and the venom in his voice sent chills down her back and she could feel the animosity he had for the monarch of his kingdom. It was so heavy, she couldn't reply, but rather look on quietly as he began to lose his cool edge. "A man as old as the mountain, and the FireHeart itself. It is he that sees us to exile, and it is he that gives us a task of his choosing, our only path to return home."

Anna bit at her lower lip. Now having a name, she felt more confident in her assessment of him and how he could be innocent of the crimes he carried. It gave her more hope in reaching him. "And your task is to kill my sister," she whispered, thinking of how they now had the name of the true villain and at how much more linear her quest had become.

Yasha nodded. "When news of a frozen kingdom to the west reached Fria, Nazir knew such power would be a threat to the FireHeart, perhaps the only thing that could stop the ancient flame. I am the last of those touched by the Heart, and so my task was clear," he explained.

"Kill the Snow Queen."

"But Elsa's no threat to you! Freezing Arendelle was an accident and she has no reason to go after this FireHeart of yours. This is all just a big misunderstanding! Why can't you just explain that to this Nazir?" she pleaded wildly.

"I could not enter Fria to even try. _Step but one foot into Fria and instantly forfeit your life, but in favor of the king._ Those are the terms of my exile, Princess," he replied bitterly, feeling as helpless against his task as she did, "But it would not matter even if I could. The king would not listen, and his word is law in Fria. The death of the Snow Queen assures the legacy of the FireHeart and that is what Nazir treasures above all other things. He does not care for you or me or anything but the Heart."

"And if I ever hope to return to my people, I must obey him and fulfill his task."

The fatality of his voice made her suddenly feel a wave of anger wash over her. It was true that this king Nazir was the source of his task, but his reasons for being willing to see it through seemed frail and shallow, making him seem frail and shallow. Any man with a noble heart would never trade something so simple for the life of another, making her wonder if she had actually misjudged him with these feelings of sympathy. "That's why you'd do such a terrible thing? You'd sacrifice my sister, just so you can return to your life of privilege and comfort?" she cried, hoping to hear him briskly deny the claim. She had convinced herself that he was honorable and kind, and that all of his actions were somehow justified. Even his intent to kill Elsa seemed displaced from who she thought he really was, so much that she felt like they had been talking about a completely different person. She desperately hoped he was the man she thought he was and not the one he appeared to be.

Yasha watched her silently. He offered her no opportunity to mine a hero from him.

"I would sacrifice your sister in order to return to Fria," he stated plainly.

In a fit, she lurched to her feet and flew at him, her hand slapping him loudly across the face. The sound echoed throughout the grotto and his head barely turned from the impact, his eyes cast to the side but not losing a sliver of their resolve. While she had thought it would make her feel better, her hand was stinging and her eyes were hot. She didn't feel relieved. For the first time since they met, she felt like he was truly a monster, and that in spite of all of her reaching out, she realized they had made no progress at all. It was infuriating to consider that she might have been wrong about his noble heart after all.

"You're definitely not a good person!" she yelled furiously, unable to come up with anything better, then turned and fled his grotto, leaving him motionless on his rock.

Although any normal kidnapper would have instantly gone to recapture her, he simply sat there, his eyes sullen as he ran his fingers over the bright red mark on his face. Her reaction wasn't surprising. This was the life of someone she loved and he could no less blame her for it as he could stop himself from fighting for the things he cherished. If anything, he felt the fire in her eyes was something they shared, and something he respected.

A sigh escaped his lips.

"No, I am not."

Fueled by her broken expectations and stumbling through the caves, Anna didn't run far. She only wanted to get away long enough to think about where she actually stood against this seemingly shallow, seemingly noble man. Even now, as her mind was convinced that he was acting for selfish reasons, her heart couldn't believe it was the only motive he had, especially when she remembered how passionate his eyes became when he spoke of his home.

As she came to a stop in another dim cave and tried to catch her breath, she rolled her eyes heavily, knowing that getting mad and slapping him would do little resolve the issue at hand, nor would it bring her any closer to saving Elsa. Regardless of how she felt about him, she still had to get him to quit his task, and knowing that the task was given to him by his king made her heart sink, regardless of how hostile he seemed towards his ruler.

In retrospect, this was going to be harder than she thought.

Taking a quick breath, she spun around and pushed her back against a thick column of rock, sliding down to the stone floor and burying her face into her arms. Despite how intrigued she had been as she tried to solve the riddle of his heart, she was tired of being alone with him. She suddenly wanted Elsa or Kristoff to be at her side, at the very least so she knew where she stood. She imagined that one of them could help her see the key that would unlock this chain of fate around his neck and her mind was tortured by the puzzles and contradictions surrounding his story. Many of his words still made no sense to her, even after his explanation.

"What kind of person are you really?" she asked to the silence of the cave. She was no closer to getting him to quit his crusade than when they started and she felt like time was running out. Every heartbeat told her that time was passing around her and the moment when Elsa and Yasha would meet was approaching, like the unstoppable Xenolith crashing down upon her.

She shivered, trying desperately to figure out how to stop it.

She had to stop it.

At once, she was aware of another person's footsteps grinding to a halt on the sandy floor of the cave, invading her desires to be alone and parallel desires to find companionship. Fearing he had followed her, she knew wasn't ready to face him yet and she cringed slightly, quaking in strange, quiet sobbing. She didn't want him to see her frustration or the way he could bother her, so she kept her face hidden.

Idly, she wished that would be anyone other than him standing there.

"Anna?" said a voice that was not Yasha's, making her heart leap in her chest and her eyes fly open. Her head quickly jerked up and her breath froze in her chest at the sight of the person who stood before her, brilliant like a dream and soothing like a warm summer's breeze. It was so wonderful that she could hardly believe it, yet at the same time fear washed over her. All reasonable expectations were thrown away, for she didn't know which she was stronger at the moment, the relief or the fear.

At the moment, she was a victim of both.

"Elsa!"


	7. Triple Point

**VII**

Triple Point

Elsa rushed forward to Anna and embraced her, feeling dominated by her own chaotic emotions. Since the moment she had walked into her empty room, she had been suffering from the anger and fear, as well as dreading the terrible things that might be done to her. Finding her sitting alone wasn't how she envisioned them reuniting and she wondered if she had somehow escaped from her abductors and fled, becoming lost amongst the caves. At the same time, she was overwhelmed with relief, with a sharp exhale dispersing the dark aura that had been gripping her heart. With no villain to confront, she felt as if all of her anger would be simply left to fizzle away into nothingness, a strangely unsatisfying conclusion to the terrible affair. Soon, she was busy pawing at her sister, half-laughing and half-crying, all while searching for any sign of mistreatment or injury.

To her infinite relief, she found nothing.

"Oh, Anna. Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?" she cried, putting her hands affectionately on her shoulders.

Anna found herself equally engulfed by happiness. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she laughed back, holding to her shaking arms and trying to calm her down. Her entire kidnapping had seemed weirdly ordinary. Other than dealing with the ship captain and the encounter with the Xenolith, it had been a thrilling adventure. "I'm really glad to see you. I thought that maybe after our fight, you might not want to chase after me," she admitted, even knowing it wasn't true.

Elsa found the concern just as flimsy and shook her head, knowing as well that the argument had been shallow and that it seemed like a distant memory now, ready to be forgotten. "That doesn't matter, Anna. You're my sister and I'll always come for you. It's not like you haven't done the same for me," she replied and a warm smile overcame Anna's glass fears. The irony of their situation was apparent to both of them, with Elsa charging off into the frozen countryside to save Anna instead of the other way around.

"And it's not just me," she added, taking a quick look around for her equally engaged partners, "Kristoff is here too. And Olaf."

"Kristoff?" Anna chirped happily, looking over her shoulder but finding no one else in the darkness beyond. Being able to see him on top of reuniting with Elsa would be just another respite against a petty, timeworn concern that stayed loosely as a brittle grudge in her heart. She knew his sins would be forgiven as soon as she saw him.

Elsa nodded. "They're looking for the next piece of your dress," she said, looking down at the tattered fabric hanging from her body and letting a sharp exhale permeate the cave. While she was by no means naked, the jagged cuts in her dress made Elsa narrow eyes as she was visibly reclaiming some of her anger.

Once more, she wanted to find the one responsible.

Anna laughed sheepishly and tried to straighten her dress, feeling a bit embarrassed to be seen in such a state. The tattered fabric let parts of her legs show and the collar had been stretched and torn from Yasha's rough handling, yet she spoke of it as if it were nothing more than a prank, waving off the weight of her mood with a simple flick of her wrist. "Oh! Funny story about that. Well, at first I was so not laughing when Yasha wanted to start chopping off parts of my dress, and I can't even tell you how embarrassing it was! I didn't think I'd make it in anything but my slip, and that knife came pretty close to giving me the closest shave I've ever had, I can tell you," she mused.

"Yasha?" Elsa repeated, her lips pursed.

"Yeah, the jerk. He looked pretty composed through the whole thing, but I bet he secretly loved it," she laughed, in the same tone of banter that she used when speaking to him. She was certain the remark would have made him embarrassed, making a wicked little smile play over her lips until she focused back on Elsa and found the furious expression she wore. At first she didn't understand her reaction, but then her face drained as she remembered just how volatile the situation was. She had come to think of him fondly, yet realized Elsa probably thought of him like he was a depraved criminal who had taken her for all sorts of foul purposes, and while she had developed a different rapport than expected and caught the glimpses of his true heart, her sister had none of those benefits.

Lacking that insight, Elsa was justifiably furious.

"Oh, Elsa! So, funny thing, really. Before you go all ballistic or anything, I really need to talk to you about Yasha. He's…" she began, but the sound of another voice shattered the air, chilling her right to the bone and taking her explanation right out from under her.

"The Snow Queen has come."

To Anna's horror, he was looming at the other side of the cavern, bathed in the shadows of the torchlight, with Sid buzzing around him.

"Standing right behind you," she whined.

Elsa whirled around to finally face the one responsible for stealing away her sister, finding that the moment she laid eyes on him, something inside of her began to churn hotly. His arrival was like a strike of flame across a massive pile of dry tinder and Anna cursed his sense of timing. If only he had given her just a few minutes to prepare her sister, she was confident things would turn out fine, but as it stood Elsa was fuming as she glared on.

He was everything she expected him to be, with his snarled, dark hair and the way he lingered in the shadows, glaring ominously at her. What she didn't expect was that he caused a wave of peripheral whispers to touch her ears, something that sounded almost like the wind winding through the cave around them, yet had more depth and message, while meaning nothing to her at all. It was like nothing she had ever felt before, as if someone or something was telling her secrets from far away, or breathing warnings about the man that sent tremors through her body. For some reason, his mere presence was resonating with her and she felt her magic licking against her skin, cautioning her that even though she had spent so much time trying to imagine what she would do when she found him, she was completely ill-prepared for the depth of their encounter.

"It was you," Elsa growled.

He offered no reply, though he appeared just as agitated by her presence, with Anna frantically trying to figure out how to stop the tragedy before it began. While she suspected Elsa would be angry, she had no idea she would react so strongly and felt completely unprepared as well, though she was absolutely focused on talking them through this. "Wait, Elsa! It's not what you might think. Well, maybe it is, if you just listen to me for a second…" she began, reaching out to calm her sister.

When her fingers touched Elsa's shoulder however, a flash made her cry out and step back, looking at the frost that glazed her hand. Looking up fearfully, she found that Elsa's mood had fouled so much that she was consumed by it, and glaring at him with every intention of finding out how she would punish his sins.

Her expression shocked her.

Anna suddenly didn't feel like she was looking at her sister at all.

"I won't forgive you for what you've done," Elsa hissed, clawing her hands out into the air and feeling the pulses of her magic commanding the air around her.

Yasha was quiet, looking at her with eyes touched by hues of orange. He also felt a strange repulsion and didn't understand where it was coming from, though it resonated deeply within his heart and demanded that he clash with the Snow Queen. Seeing her pool her magic against him, he also felt an inferno in his chest, yet even in the midst of his provisions against her, his eyes moved to Anna for a moment and he felt his mood waver. He could see her genuine desire to stop this, for his sake as well as her sister. For a fleeting moment, he was tempted to simply step back and give her the chance to defuse the situation, but soon realized as the cold chewed at his skin that he was in no position make his own choices, and he looked back to Elsa, finding her fury intoxicating.

Responding to her powers, he lifted his hand up and violent flames engulfed it, filling the area with a dull light and illuminating the bizarrely satisfied look on his face. In spite of all his reservations, he felt an unquenchable desire to fight her with everything he had.

"As it should be."

While she was shocked by his display of magic, she had little time to react before he threw his hand out, sending a powerful fireball through the air and shattering the ceiling above them. Surprised by the sudden assault, both Elsa and Anna leapt away to avoid the avalanche of stone that followed.

As the rocks stopped falling, Anna was waving her hands in front of her to clear the air of dust, coughing loudly as she did. The burst scattered her mind for a moment and she wasn't sure what had happened. Even as she had spent her entire journey trying to figure out how to resolve Yasha's iniquitous task without them turning their magic upon one another, the filthy air hanging in the cavern obscured any sign of hope, and she was having trouble seeing through the dust and stone.

"Anna!" came a loud voice through the dust and Kristoff appeared, with Olaf and Sven close behind. Seeing her made a wave of relief overtake him and he reached down to help her up, looking her over desperately to see if she was hurt. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Kristoff," she wheezed, relieved at hearing his voice and clutching him tightly. Before she could breathe again, she remembered just how much she had missed him and she pressed her head into his chest. In spite of the frenzy of her plight, just being able to take a moment while in his arms made a new wave of confidence fill her. She even let herself forget that she was mad at him.

After taking a moment, a flash of light aroused her and she realized that the rockslide had separated them from the other side of the cavern, where Elsa and Yasha were doing exactly what she feared – fighting.

The realization made her sprout wildly in his arms.

"Oh no! Elsa!" she cried, turning from him and leaning up on her toes as she tried to see a way through the pile. "We have to get through!"

The flashes from the other side showed only through small holes between the stones, sending bursts of blue and orange spectacularly across the cave walls, though she was far beyond being amazed by the light show. She was too stricken by fear.

"Elsa!" she called through the pile.

"What's going on? What happened to Elsa?" Kristoff asked, looking between her and the flashes of light seeping through.

Anna bounced a few times on her toes to try and peek over the top of the wall, though found it to be thick and unyielding. Seeing the continued flashes of light made her panic grow, for if they wouldn't even try and talk, there was no hope to save them. Silence would be the method of their fate, and that terrified her. "She's in there with the one who kidnapped me. He can use some crazy magic too and he plans on doing something terrible!" she cried, trying to pry a large stone out of the way.

Kristoff had a thousand other questions to ask her and wanted to take a week making sure she was okay, but her frantic tone and hearing about Elsa's situation made him focus on the task at hand, leaving his chances to fawn over her until later. Instead, he turned his attention to the pile, using his strength to roll the large stone to the side.

"Okay. Let's hurry and get her out of there," he said.

Amidst the continuing sounds of the fight beyond the stone wall, Anna grimaced as she worked and her mind was stuck the terrifying look on Elsa's face. She also thought on how Yasha's fire magic weakened him quickly and how even though he was dangerously proficient with that dagger, his apparent choice to fight magic with magic would quickly sap his strength. Knowing how powerful Elsa was, she felt even more compelled to get through the blockage before something terrible happened to the both of them.

"I think Elsa might not be the one in danger," she whispered.

As they tried to dig out the stones, a small trace of light surfed along the pile and came zipping through a gap, hovering in the air behind Anna and floating indignantly as they worked.

"What are you doing, bait? Quit playing with those rocks and come on. Time to go," Sid barked, startling them all.

"Sid!" Anna cried in surprise, whirling to the small sprite and seeing a ray of hope in the most unlikely place, "You have to tell Yasha to stop! I can talk to my sister. They don't have to fight!"

Sid didn't instantly fire back as expected, but instead seemed swayed by her suggestion. It was apparent that she was concerned for Yasha and the thought of the Snow Queen's magic sent chills through her tiny body. Even now, the pressure from her ice felt like it would snuff her out and the sprite wavered back in forth through the air, wanting to take her up on that offer. However, she had been given a task and she was compelled to finish it, despite how desperately she wanted to do as Anna suggested.

"Sorry, bait, but he told me to take you out of the caves and send you home. So that's what you gotta do," she sighed.

Anna snorted at the apparent stubbornness in everyone, going back to the pile with all of her strength. "Ugh, why isn't anyone listening to me? I'm not going anywhere until those two calm down and start talking like civilized, magical people!" she yelled.

"Hey! The bait doesn't get a vote!" Sid howled in a pitched voice.

Following Yasha's commands was natural to her, even when she vehemently disagreed with them, so her disregard for his orders made her detest the fiery princess even more. "Ugh, fine! I don't care if you stay or go. Stupid bait!" Her small, fiery body flared in annoyance and she buzzed away, though she quickly came to a screeching halt as she came face to face with Olaf, who was staring at her in awe.

She suddenly became more irate. "What are you supposed to be? A walking snowball?" she asked petulantly.

Olaf was completely smitten as the small sprite glowed brightly in his eyes, despite the way her heat was making his cheeks drip.

"You're beautiful," he said dreamily, leaning closer to her.

His interest made her recoil back, wondering if there was anything more ridiculous than a snowman's infatuation with a fire sprite. "Ewww! Get away from me!" she howled and kicked him in the nose, though her small size didn't even budge it. It did light the end of the carrot on fire however, and Olaf shrieked, running in circles as the end of his nose burned.

"Oh oh! Not my beautiful nose!" he cried, finally coming to Sven, who casually leaned down and blew out the flames with a throaty puff of air. Olaf pawed at the black tip of his nose and sighed in relief, then laughed sheepishly as he looked up at the reindeer.

"Do you think she likes me?"

On the other side of the rocks, Elsa and Yasha were standing at odds, their hands raging with magic and both of them winded from their exchange. Scorch marks and thickly frozen stones dotted the cavern around them and the air was violently swirling from the clash of hot and cold. She stared at him, still suffering the rage in her heart and the utter shock at seeing him using magic. There were a thousand questions in her mind, but they were quickly losing out to her heart, which was stuck on the image of Anna sitting against the stone, her dress torn and her body shaking with tears. It was as if she found exactly what she had been looking for to justify her rage and that anger stole away all words, leaving her only able to seethe viciously and stand oblivious to why her blood ran so hot around him.

At the other end of the cavern, Yasha was panting. There was a bright glow coming from his chest, though it was mostly covered by his shirt. The power of the Snow Queen was greater than he imagined and his plan to end it quickly suddenly seemed naive. In spite of how unaccustomed to battle she seemed and how his lethal dagger might have ended their conflict quickly, it lay unused at his back. Instead, he succumbed to the way he magic raged against her, though he had no idea why it reacted so violently.

For some strange reason, it simply felt right to incinerate her.

"You are far less talkative than your sister, Snow Queen," he suddenly remarked, trying to gather his strength for another assault.

"Don't you dare talk about Anna!" she howled, throwing her hand through the air and sending spikes of ice rising from the ground around him, threatening to skewer him from every direction. The attack surprised him, but his movements were nimble and he avoided a number of the spikes with sheer agility, in spite of his deteriorating condition. When their numbers overwhelmed him, he finally drew his dagger from his belt and slashed at the ice, making it shatter beautifully around him. She was surprised by his skill, though she also knew that letting him get close to her would be a lethal mistake.

She had to keep him away.

While defending against her attacks, the pain in Yasha's chest was growing and even moving with his dagger was starting to drown his mind with a red haze. Inwardly, he cursed the fact that he was so close to achieving his goal, yet felt his time running out. Everything hinged on him fulfilling his task, yet he suddenly couldn't get Anna out of his mind. Even when it took everything he had to obey his king, he was torn at how his success would affect her, further hampering his movements and his resolve. It wasn't just the Snow Queen he was fighting; it was everything – his body, his mind and his heart. He only allowed himself a moment to curse the terrible fate he suffered before he refocused his efforts and held tightly to the one desire he had above all others.

_I must get back to the Heart._

Knowing it would only quicken his end, he reached deeply within and made a gesture to the ground before him, where red markings much like the ones in his dagger appeared and surged forward at Elsa, through rock and dust alike. The markings pooled at her feet and suddenly erupted into a column of fire, though she had just been aware enough to jump out of the way. A few more of the trails surged at her and she was nimble enough to avoid them, but she couldn't focus on them and him at the same time. Before she realized it, she had moved dangerously close, in line with his strategy.

With fearful eyes, she suddenly looked up as he lunged at her, his dagger poised to strike, and her hand raised out just in time meet him with a bubble of her magic. The pulse threw him harshly back against the cave wall and he fell harshly onto his stomach, groaning loudly. His dagger was thrown to the side, leaving him reliant on his powers alone, which had already reached their limit and felt futile against hers. Elsa could barely focus over the thundering of her heart and she took a moment to catch her breath, staring at him as he tried to drag himself up from the ground. Dust burst from around his face with each ragged breath and his chest was burning painfully. Yet, he couldn't give up. He wouldn't give in to the temptation to quit. A memory of himself submissively bowing before King Nazir flashed into his mind and his fists clenched tightly, his teeth grinding in his ears.

"I will not…" he gasped into the ground, still struggling to stand, and the words caught her for their ferocity.

"What?" she panted, shivering at his sudden change of aura.

Yasha pushed his feet below him, scraping loudly on the dusty stone. He stood against the pain that racked his body and his muddy hair shrouded his face. His eyes were glowing bright orange and the glow across his chest now seemed to burn out right through his clothing. For the first time since laying eyes on him, her fear overcame her anger and she stepped back, feeling the unrelenting heat from him. He suddenly seemed like an entirely different person.

He suddenly seemed like a monster.

"I will not stop here!" he yelled and flames burst from his back like a pair of great wings, then slowly began to pull away from him.

Despite being flame, the wings moved organically, as if part of this scorching angel before her. The wings then shifted, growing into something terrible. A howling dragon rose from his back and spread the wings wildly into the cave, filling it with bright light and searing heat. Its roar shook the air. As beautiful as it was, Elsa gasped fearfully and took another shaky step backwards, finding that his magical creations inherited the wrath of his eyes. The dragon settled roughly onto the ground behind him before rearing back and belching a powerful column of fire, putting everything Yasha had left into a single pulse of magic.

Instinctively, Elsa raised her hands up in defense and a thick wall of ice stopped the flames, but she was surprised at how powerful it was. Her ice was keeping the flames from reaching her, but the dragon's size and appearance shook her, making it hard to concentrate. As she struggled, she happened to look through the ice and the fire to where he stood, and his appearance made her tremble. His body was shaking and rigid, his face twisted in pain. It didn't look like he was breathing anymore and his chest was glowing so brightly that it almost eclipsed him. Yet the most striking thing about him was his eyes. They were glaring at her with a ferocity that pierced her with fear and showed no sign of yielding. Even as she understood that his most powerful magic couldn't break through her defenses, she wouldn't underestimate him or give him even the slightest opening. To do so would mean leaving herself at his mercy, and his wildly ferocious eyes seemed like they would devour her if she let them.

With their powers at a stalemate, Elsa used the refuge of ice to reconsider her strategy. Thinking back on how he used his power through the ground, she had an idea and shifted her feet. Stomping towards him, a crest of frozen ice surged through the ground, freezing the cave floor and growing tooth-like spikes all along its wake. He was obviously too engaged in concentration to notice and the crest abruptly burst from the ground, reaching up with icy fingers and throwing him through the massive body of his dragon, up against the wall in a ruthless column of ice.

As the cocoon encased him, from his knees to the top of his shoulders, he howled in pain and struggled, but it was all in vain. In this contest of magic, he was defeated. The dragon wailed as well as the ice rose up its body and into its wings until it was completely frozen. It then burst into countless frozen shards of dust and disappeared from her sight.

Elsa heaved a sigh as she felt the relief from his flames and took a moment to catch her breath, staring as he struggled in his icy prison. The ice and sparks in the room died down until there was only a frigid chill, showing that her powers had reigned supreme. He was completely at her mercy and she took a few shaky steps towards him, trying to focus enough to decide what to do next. The skirmish had cleansed the muddy anger from her, though she still felt dark desires towards him. The sounds of Anna and the others calling from the other side of the rock pile didn't distract her as she approached him, feeling the overwhelming pull of her strange possession. An intoxicating feeling came over her, at the complete dominion she had over him, and she couldn't keep herself calm as a subtle turquoise glow invaded the edges of her pupils. She felt as if she unequivocally controlled everything about him, from his breath to his life, and that was an entirely new feeling for her. Strangely set against the beating of her own heart, it frightened her to admit that she didn't hate this new feeling, though it was equally terrifying that she couldn't stop her own hand from rising up and creating a long spear of ice, ready to put an end to him.

Possessed and afraid, all she could think of was how gratifying it would be when she ran it through his raging heart.

As she suffered her strange possession, he began wailing loudly as he twisted in her ice, though not because of his impending doom, but something deep within. The glow under the ice was getting brighter and soon began to crack it. She was startled as the ice broke open, revealing a brightly churning ball of flame set deep within his heart. It wasn't like his other flames and it enchanted her for a moment, as if she were staring into his soul. It also made the shrill whispers in her mind intensify and she was suddenly drowning between the whispers and the commands. Someone was screaming at her to kill him, the voice painful in her chaotic mind, and her body began to act without her consent.

But her eyes were full of fear, and she suddenly realized that had no idea what was wrong with her or why she was pushing the spear towards him.

From somewhere deep within the ground, a rumbling suddenly rose through the stones of the cave and rattled the floor beneath her, staggering her final assault. Everything began to shake in resonance with the thrashing of Yasha's heart and his painful screams hurt her ears. The shaking only grew worse and she could now hear the panicked cries from Anna and Kristoff, something that started to pull her back from her trance and focused her on the reality of her situation. Something was reacting to his defeat and trying to defend him. The amount of danger she was in quickly became apparent as the caves crumbled and she desperately tried to shake off her possession, terrified to her core and grasping for the only thing she felt could save her.

"Anna!" she managed to cry just as the quake ripped through the caves and tore the rocks down around her, leaving her in an underlying darkness.

Separated, frightened and alone.

And then, everything was silent.


	8. Changing Paths

**VIII**

Changing Paths

After Elsa's battle with Yasha, the caves were still creaking and dropping dust and rock, a product of the abnormal earthquake that followed his defeat. The ground below seemed liquid and uncertain, and the pathways through the caves had changed. Some open paths were now closed off, while walls had fallen and revealed new ones, though they led into the dark unknown.

Elsa was standing silently, staring at his motionless body. Her hands were clutching her arms and she was shivering, though not due to the temperature of the air, but for something he had cast over her. He was sitting back against the stone wall, his hands encased in ice up past his wrists and his eyes were closed behind a drape of grimy hair.

After their struggle, Anna and the others had gotten through to her and found her unharmed from the ordeal, though she was still frantic about her phased state of mind. For Anna, it had been an overwhelming relief to find that he had not been successful in his task, but also that he had somehow survived the wrath of Elsa's anger. It had taken almost an hour to calm her down and explain everything, but something seemed different as she talked to her, as if she had seen something in those dark caves that frightened her into silence.

She had barely said anything since they moved into Yasha's grotto and brought the unconscious man with them.

Now she stood alone with him in defiance to her unsure footing. With Anna and Kristoff looking around the caves for another way out, she was left to watch over him and did so with a tense glare and sputtering breaths, as if she weren't prepared for the chore. Oddly, her demand to play his keeper had been the only thing she did speak about, as she couldn't fight this urge she had to watch him and keep his power in check.

As fearful as she was of the presence that consumed her when he was around, she found herself drawn towards it and was quietly doing what she could to keep him within sight.

He hadn't moved since their battle and she let her eyes wander around his grotto. The area was cluttered from the earthquake and what little furniture there had been was destroyed by falling rock, decimating his already meager home. The luminescent moss that had once brightly lit the place had weakened, leaving a dull gray mist in the air. To supplement the light, torches had been lit, but the flames visibly bothered her. She wouldn't let her eyes linger on them for long, for they reminded her of the flames he commanded and the endless questions she had about his magic.

Still shivering, she paced around the grotto, looking over the broken wood and torn cloth of his pauper's den. It was hard to imagine anyone living in such conditions and her curiosity in him only grew. To keep herself distracted, she examined the bedding area. She found a ferocious, dented mask thrown to the side and reached down to pick it up, looking over the grotesque face.

"_This must be the mask he wore when he took Anna."_

Though she had never seen him in it, she tried to imagine him as an even more frightening monster than what she saw. She felt her anger and fear swell again. To disperse her mood and escape the growing storm in her heart, she looked back to his things and found a bamboo flute remarkably untouched by the rocks. In contrast, the sight of such a delicate thing battled the image of him wearing the mask and she marveled at how worn the areas were around the holes. She found it difficult to imagine him playing the beautiful instrument, though as she went to pick it up her attention was captured by something else, glimmering in the shadows.

It was a ring, but terribly misshapen and made of poor metal. It didn't appear damaged by the rocks, but made that way. There was a leather cord wrapped around it and she decided it was likely worn as a necklace, which didn't surprise her as she couldn't imagine the ring fitting on anyone's finger. Yet something about it fascinated her, as he appeared to take great care of it.

She reached down to pick it up.

"Please do not touch that."

Startled out of her skin, she spun around, her eyes wide and her hands out to defend herself. She found him still sitting back against the wall, barely breathing but noticeably awake. She could see that his pale eyes were open and that they were on her, powerful in spite of his weakened state. Even if he didn't move, just the potency of his eyes was enough to put her on edge and keep her hands raised, her breathing rocking her body back and forth.

He watched her reactions indifferently.

"It is very dear to me," he added to the warning.

Seeing that he was either unwilling or unable to come at her again, she took a moment to calm down, though she found she couldn't speak. During their short battle, he had attacked with such ferocity that the same adrenaline pumped through her body even now, making her chest rise and fall harshly and her fingers tremble. It wasn't like the time in her ice palace, when the two lackeys of Weselton had come at her with arrows and cold eyes. Her reaction then had been fearful defense. Her encounter with him had been something else, burning with passion and fueled by anger. Feeling her magic pushed by his had been like nothing she had ever felt before and the saturation of pride at his defeat was something that startled her so much that she almost believed she was a different person. She had never once used her powers so cruelly and she had never once felt such pleasure at their raw capacity.

"I hope you're finished with this quest you have against me," she warned after she calmed down.

He stared at her for a long time, saying nothing. He felt the ice firmly clasped around his hands and the utter exhaustion of his body fighting fiercely against the desperation he had in his heart, finding that even though he was completely at her mercy and was unarmed, he wanted nothing more than fulfill his task.

"For the moment," he finally replied.

His remark made her scowl and she glared harshly at his continued persistence. Even while being at the disadvantage, he had an aptitude for stoking unnaturally hot feelings in her. "You'll get no compassion from me. Anna has told me about you, but nothing she said releases you from the things you've done," she said sternly.

"No," he admitted tiredly, leaning his head back against the stone, "it does not."

She found his response unusual and her expression softened slightly, feeling that the remorse he showed was genuine and not aligned to the fiery intent he had in seeking her life. At once, she was beginning to see what Anna had meant about the duality of his heart and the glimpses of the morality that was buried somewhere inside.

"You seem like you have some doubts, as Anna said," she remarked, lowering her hand slightly. "I hope that means you realize that you have no chance of fulfilling this task of yours."

Yasha was quietly grinding his head into the stone wall behind him, his eyes chained to her. Never had he felt so helpless and weak, especially with his goal right in front of him. The ice that encased his hands prevented him from using his magic, though he realized it made no difference. Her power was far greater than his, so much that he almost laughed to himself about it. Even now, the pain in his chest was too much to bear and he could barely breathe, fearing that the consequences of his time and magic were just about to catch up with him, that he had no more chances to return home. As much as he tried to appear powerful, his lips were about the only thing that would move according to his will and he felt the utter frustration in that.

His time was rapidly running out and he still had so much to do.

"No, it does not," he repeated.

His apparent stubbornness irritated her and drew her back from the softer tone she had taken. Lifting her hand out, the ice at his hands grew up to his elbows and caused him to groan painfully.

Her eyes were coldly upon him.

"This is your last chance. I won't allow you to hurt me or my sister again," she snarled.

Yasha panted wildly, glaring at her stubbornly. "This will not end until one of us is no more, Snow Queen."

"Then it will end now," she said darkly, fanning her fingers out and making the ice move further up his arms and onto his body. The compact ice crept over him and he could feel it crushing down onto his chest, though he couldn't keep his eyes off of her and the apparent malice in her eyes. The look on her face felt maddeningly familiar and he struggled to keep her in focus, if only to try and figure out why he felt this elusive connection with her. In her ice, his hands were trying to move and he was trying to summon any of his magic, though he knew it was pointless. There was poetic justice in losing his life to the Snow Queen, though he did lament his fate.

In the end, the only thing he regretted was not being strong enough to get back to the FireHeart and its master, King Nazir.

"Elsa!" cried out a voice and it pierced the darkness around them. Anna rushed back into the grotto just as the ice was wrapping around Yasha's neck, seizing her sister wildly and trying to shake her from her mood. "Elsa, what are you doing!? You need to stop!"

As her sister's frantic voice reached her, Elsa lurched and looked as if she had just awoken from a terrible nightmare. Her body suddenly relaxed and her eyes darted around, as if they would find the elusive shadow that had consumed her. She was panting heavily as she finally noticed Anna, though she seemed surprised that she was there. "Anna?" she asked, searching her sister's eyes for some kind of answer to an unspoken question. Taking a few shaky breaths, her hands trembled and a familiar fear washed over her.

She suddenly had no idea what she had been doing.

"Anna, I…" she began, but lost any rational explanation to the groaning of Yasha. Just the image of him suffering made her gasp loudly, and seeing what she had done made her step back and whimper, then turn and run into the caves. As she left, the ice crushing him quickly shattered into a burst of icy dust and let him collapse forward to the stone floor, taking deep, hacking breaths as he clawed at his neck.

Seeing him freed but weakened, Anna opened her mouth to say something, then exhaled sharply before chasing after Elsa.

Standing like a mere spectator to the scene, Kristoff watched with unsaid words hanging in his open mouth. He had never seen the queen act in such a way and felt compelled to chase after them as well, though he also knew that someone had to stay and keep their eye on this dangerous man, despite his condition. His eyes shifted to Yasha and no small part of him was satisfied as he suffered. Like Elsa, he had nothing but contempt for him, though he wasn't sure whether it was from the kidnapping or that he had forged some strange bond with Anna. He had already been holding himself back from pummeling him, just to make himself feel better. The fact that he was too weak to fight back didn't even bother him.

"Okay, I guess we're babysitting," he sighed, stomping over to a rock and sitting down heavily. Nothing about the situation appeased him and he gruffly settled, slumping his chin onto his fist as he stared off into the caves, irritated and silent.

Elsa's panic had been disquieting for Olaf as well, but he knew to let the sisters have some privacy. Since he couldn't rush after Elsa, he decided to take a more active role in making sure there was no more trouble, which meant turning his attention onto their captured criminal as well. "All right, then we'll be the best babysitters in this whole cave," he agreed, turning to Yasha with a stern look. The man had slowly dragged himself back to sit against the wall and was catching his breath. Olaf stalked over to him, showing an air of authority. "We've got our eyes on you, buddy, so don't try anything funny. Got it?" he warned, pointing his twigs at his own eyes and then thrusting out.

"Eyes on you."

Yasha seemed to barely see him, but the threat made him scowl. He was exhausted, in pain and barely getting the numbness out of his hands, but the snowman irritated him enough to warrant him lifting a finger weakly and causing Olaf's hand to catch fire. The sight of the flames made the snowman shriek and scramble around the grotto to find a way to put it out, while Yasha slumped further against the wall closed his eyes, trying to regain his strength. He knew he had to ration what little magic he had left, but hearing the snowman flail over the flames was greatly satisfying as he fought to stay conscious.

More than anything, he wondered if he would survive his next encounter with the Snow Queen.

* * *

"Elsa!" Anna yelled and finally got her sister to stop running.

The elegant queen slumped as Anna approached her from behind and she was too scared to face her, fearing what kind of expression she would show her younger sister. She had no answers to offer, as the time since meeting Yasha seemed like a murky dream, punctuated by flashes of uncontrollable fury and steeped in a veil of intent that she didn't really understand. She felt as if she had been fighting herself more than him.

"Elsa? Are you okay?" Anna asked worriedly.

"I don't…I don't know," she replied, rubbing her hands together nervously and letting her eyes wander all over the cave. "I just want to be alone for a bit. I need to clear my head."

Anna winced. This reminded her of their past and made her nervous. She feared that rift might open up once more and even her sister's more recent behavior was fueling her desires to bridge the gap before it got too wide to jump. "I'm worried about you, you know. You haven't been yourself lately. You're so quick to get angry, you don't talk to people anymore, you use your magic without thinking," she said, unconsciously rubbing her hand, still red from where the magic stung her skin.

"That part of you scares me."

Until the moment of her kidnapping, she had assumed Elsa's changing mood was just stress from ruling, though seeing her expression when she faced Yasha amplified the fear that finally being open about her powers was taking Elsa down a dark path, one where she used their extraordinary nature to justify extraordinary responses. Imagining her beloved sister becoming the witch people once feared was a terrifying prospect.

Elsa shivered once more and hugged herself, secretly feeling many of the same things, though far more intimately and far more chillingly. Hearing Anna admit her fear made her own fear even stronger.

"It scares me too," she admitted quietly.

Anna looked up from her inflamed hand and stared at her sister's back, watching her tremble. She knew she could never truly understand what she went through, being queen and having her magical powers, with Anna nothing more than a perky princess that sometimes fell into her radiant sister's shadow. In a way, they were far more different than they were alike and that fact was never more apparent than when she watched the weight of the world on her shoulders, but Anna had conquered her fears and doubts when it came to Elsa and she had proven she was willing to climb any mountain for her, to defeat any fear.

She had done it before, and she would do it countless times again.

"I'm here for you, you know. Right here," Anna offered, finding her courage again.

"But you weren't there," Elsa said suddenly and turned, her face showing how frightened she was, "I looked for you and you were gone. I felt like no magic in the world could suddenly make you appear back home. Oh Anna, I was so scared. I thought I might never see you again."

Seeing a glimpse of her true heart, Anna smiled softly and stepped forward, taking her hands. She looked up at her, showing her the strength she would use to help her fight her fear and the unyielding resolve she had to help Elsa no matter what terrors she faced. That was, and always would be, her promise. "I'll always be here for you, Elsa. No matter what happens. Sure, I might get kidnapped now and again, but that doesn't mean we won't find each other. I knew that you would come for me, no matter where I was. You should do the same," she replied warmly, squeezing her hands.

Elsa felt the fear lessen and she squeezed back, searching her eyes desperately. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'll never have to find out. You're stuck with me. I'm sort of like a rash that way," Anna joked, trying to calm her down.

Elsa let laughter release some of the anxiety she had built up and she nodded, biting her lip. It was easier to forget those frightening moments when she didn't know who she was, just as long as Anna was nearby. The infinite value she placed on her sister's love was how she could feel so much fear, yet at the same time, so much comfort. Elsa had never experienced romantic love or infatuation, beyond simple glances and distant thoughts, but she couldn't imagine it came close to the connection she felt with Anna – to be terrified and engrossed all at the same time.

She wondered if all love happened to be that way.

Anna watched her calm down, while realizing there was still something that had to be done in order to resolve the entire affair. This wasn't something that was just going to go away if they simply went home. "Let's go back," she suggested carefully, keeping a tight hold on Elsa's hands, "If Yasha's awake, I'd really like you to talk to him." Elsa's face drained and her smile fell away. Anna's kidnapper was a touchy subject, regardless of how her sister spoke of him. It wasn't just the justice she wanted for his crimes, but also the strange magic he wielded and the possession he conjured inside. She felt she really had no way to find her bearing whenever he was around.

"I don't think I can. Something about him…" she said, looking away fearfully.

"It's frightening."

Anna couldn't deny that, though she had no knowledge of the unnatural possession her sister felt because of her magic. In honesty, she shared that assessment at first, but she had slowly pulled away his mask and found something buried beneath, whispering to her of a much bigger world than the one where he was simply the villain, she the princess, and Elsa the Snow Queen. Just as so many others had discovered the truth concerning Elsa's heart, there was more to him than just the dagger and the mask, and it had been surprising to her, but also reassuring.

Yasha and Elsa weren't so different, she thought.

"I know we can find a way to resolve this. He's not the person you think he is," she explained. A bemused smirk cross her lips as she shrugged at the irony of the claim, "I actually kind of trust him."

Elsa's expression sharpened. It was easy to fall back on the subject of Hans, where he had so completely fooled Anna's open heart. However, as she looked at her now, she didn't see that blind admiration burning brightly in her eyes, but an oddly powerful confidence, a confidence that felt contagious. It was melting away Elsa's fears.

"He doesn't seem like he's willing to give this up," she worried, "He'll come after me again."

"Well, then you can freeze his butt to the ground and I'll smack that moody little frown right off his face," Anna replied, flaunting her newly discovered power over him. Secretly, she wanted to help him with his problems in a way that saved everyone involved, if only because it felt like the right thing to do. Pragmatically, working with him also seemed a lot safer than leaving him unleashed in his apparent quest to kill Elsa. "If all he wants is to return home, I think we can find another way that doesn't involve '_destroying the Snow Queen_.' You just have to give him a chance."

The uncertainty was evident in Elsa's eyes. She continued to search her sister for more confidence and hold tightly to her hands. While she could easily overwhelm him with her magic, she didn't feel like she could stand up to his powerful gaze and the determination that lived in his eyes. She also couldn't understand how easily Anna resisted his intimidating presence.

"I'll try," she sighed.

Anna smiled widely and wasted no time. "Great!" she cheered, turning back towards the grotto and tugging her by the hand. "Let's get back before Kristoff decides to do something to him about the whole kidnapping thing. Ugh, men are so emotional."

Burning hotly with a task of her own and hauling the reluctant queen back with no more consideration of her objections, Anna dismissed the violent air that lingered in the caves. It was enough that she could finally bring things to a more manageable pace, and she was eager to finally get a chance to mediate a lasting peace between them.

With Elsa nearly calm and Yasha nearly broken, she finally had as good a place to start as any.

* * *

In the unsettling silence of his massacred grotto, Yasha sat against the wall with his arms slung across his knees, idly touching each finger across his thumbs to try and get his dexterity back. His eyes were pressed shut and his breath came out in audible wheezes. His defeat had taken a heavy toll on him. He dismissed the reason for his loss. The Snow Queen was powerful, but not accustomed to battle. Her movements had been reactionary and fearful, and she had no instincts for conquest. Despite the unnatural look he had seen in her eyes, he had a talent for reading people, and in her he didn't see the terrible threat that Nazir claimed, but a gentle heart wielding incredible magic. That, coupled with the obvious sin he would levy against her fascinating sister, made him realize why he hadn't simply taken his blade to her, instead relying on his unstable magic.

Yasha's own heart had beaten him before the Snow Queen had even stepped into his caves, making the consequences of his failure to fulfil Nazir's task that much more bitter, as he imagined he would never again see his home again.

In his mind, he was calculating how much strength he would have by the time they returned, how Anna's actions might give him an opportunity to strike and how likely it was he would be able to escape in the aftermath to make his way back to the FireHeart. In his heart and mind, he knew there was no chance he would succeed, but it didn't stop him from considering it anyway.

And he hated the fact that he could think of nothing else, in spite of how noble he wanted his heart to be.

"_Such a pitiful state you're in, boy,_" said a deep voice that resonated in his mind, stalling his attempts to recover. His eyes instantly flew open and he stared into the darkness, the rings of orange once more glowing in them. He knew the voice. He felt the presence. This wasn't the timing he expected when being paid a visit of such an oppressive figure in his life, yet it only seemed fitting. Slowly, his gaze fell down to the small, glowing flames hovering within the space his arms created. It was Sid and she was hidden in his lap, but she wasn't acting like her usual self. Instead, he saw the silhouette of a tall, dark man in the depths of her flames. His eyes narrowed and the hair stood on the back of his neck, and had he any strength left, he would have used those moments to spit the last of his breath as poison at the figure.

"King Nazir," he growled.

"_Is it done? Is the Snow Queen no more?_"

Weakly, his eyes slowly moved from the image to Sid's entranced face, his mind finally coming to grips with what he had suspected for the longest time. If it were true, Nazir already knew the answer to the question and was simply rubbing salt in his wounds. He learned that he could despise the man even more.

"I have failed. She is too powerful for me," he answered, though felt strangely relieved by that. If anything, failing in his task was a fine way to deprive Nazir of something he desired.

Yasha would enjoy any insignificant victory at this point.

"_Yes, Lind's child is quite powerful. It's no surprise that you failed_," the shadow replied and Yasha's hands clenched tightly into fists.

"You knew I was no match for her, and still you sent me on this cursed errand_," _he seethed.

Nazir continued to act aloof. "_N__o matter. You still live, and that's enough. Return to the Scoria Chamber and bring the Snow Queen with you_," he ordered in a tone dismissive of the failure, and the command dissolved all of the tension from Yasha's body.

For a moment, he was in utter disbelief.

"Return to Fria?" he gasped, afraid he had imagined it.

"_You've proven your worth. Return to the Chamber and enter the Heart. Afterwards, you'll be more than a match for the Snow Queen," _Nazir continued._ "Destroy her with the power of the FireHeart and assume your rightful place._"

Yasha couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only would he return home, but he would embrace the FireHeart and be given the power he desired. It was everything he had ever wanted. Just this short connection with Nazir had been quickly refilling his strength and making the burning in his chest subside, a frighteningly seductive sign that the FireHeart could defy fate itself. Where he had been certain his time was at an end, he suddenly felt more alive than he had in a long time. If a glimpse of the Heart's true power could invigorate him this much, he could only imagine what returning would mean. It seemed like the perfect answer to all of life's imperfect questions.

"I will bring her," he swore, his demeanor changing.

The ghostly image in the flames seemed appeased and began to fade, leaving him with a warning.

"_Come quickly, boy. This is a short allowance. You don't have much time left._"

As the figure disappeared, Sid suddenly dimmed and fluttered down into his lap, lying against him as she tried to recover. After a moment, she looked up, afraid of the expression she might find, though she found he wasn't looking at her all. "I'm sorry, Yasha," she said weakly, barely able to hold herself up. The pain in her voice finally made him look down, still digesting his new task but not above appreciating her role. The revelation of her true nature might have hit him much harder, had he not been allowed to fulfill his greatest wish.

"You are a servant of the king," he sighed.

"I don't have a choice! You have to believe me! When the Heart calls to me, I have to obey. I don't want you to hate me, Yasha. Please don't hate me!" she cried.

He sighed again and laid his head back against the stone, his eyes heavy. There was so much to think about and he was glad none of the Snow Queen's entourage had been listening. To realize that Nazir had watched his every move for so many years made him feel the old anger, but he also let a bittersweet laugh come out through his pursed lips, as if he could accept that defeat.

At the moment, nothing could deny him the hope in his heart.

Betrayal was just one more thing that he had to accept to get what he wanted.

"You have been my only companion for many years, Sid. I could not hate you," he replied, then looked down to her, showing sadness in his eyes that only furthered her remorse. "And it seems you and I are not so different. When the Heart calls, we obey."

Sid showed her overwhelming relief and laid against him, torn by the tragic truth but once more reminded why she had such strong feelings for him. Her tiny body relaxed and wished to never move. "I can't disobey the king, but it was you who made me. You're the only one that I care about. You have to believe that," she whimpered.

"I believe you," he replied softly, leaning his head back as he watched Kristoff and the others jump up at the return of Anna and Elsa. The strength had returned to his body and his mind was frighteningly clear. In lieu of this commission given to him by Nazir, he could finally decide his fate and his eyes settled on Elsa, focusing even more. The path forward was starting to reveal itself and he stared at her, clenching his fists rhythmically to test his strength. It was beyond evident that she was the key to attaining the power he needed to finally put an end to his obedience to fate, stoking the fires within him and forging a new resolve. He already knew he affected her, so he was quietly deciding how to use that to his advantage. He could no longer afford to be distracted by other things, and resolved to play the part Nazir had written for him, as long as it served his needs.

At the moment, he was willing to do anything it took to get back to the FireHeart, even if meant becoming the villain that others thought him to be.


	9. Fire and Ice

**IX**

Fire and Ice

"So nothing happened," Anna remarked, stepping up on her toes to look over Kristoff's shoulder at Yasha, who was still sitting against at the other side of the grotto. With Kristoff's anger and Yasha's stubbornness, she was surprised she hadn't come back to fireballs and ice axes flying all around.

Oddly, it felt kind of disappointing. "You didn't punch him, or kick him or anything?"

"Oh come on, if you're going to get mad at something I _didn't _do, at least let me know ahead of time so I can actually do it," he complained. It was like she was angry that he hadn't gone against her wishes and slugged the guy, which had been a nearly irresistible temptation from the moment he saw him. Women were so difficult to understand. "All he did was sit over there and mumble," he added, remembering how strange it had been to listen to his quiet, garbled voice with no apparent receiver.

"Oh, and he might have lit Olaf on fire."

"He lit Olaf on fire?!" she yelled, looking down to the snowman's burned twigs, "You don't think that's something?"

"I'm half the snowman I used to be," Olaf sighed, cringing as his hand creaked and crackled when he opened and closed it.

While Anna and Kristoff bickered over the apparent lapse in oversight, Elsa had been standing to the side, her eyes cast across the cavern, staying on the man as he sat motionless against the wall. Just seeing him again made her apprehension rise and she was rubbing her hands together nervously, remembering how easily it had been to push her ice over him. Just his presence and the magic that flowed through him made her head cloudy and the same harrowing urges to fill her heart. She could feel the mysterious possession licking the back of her mind.

And once more, she was subject to his frightening eyes.

"Elsa?" Anna called, breaking her from her trance.

Elsa snapped away with a disturbed expression and saw the concern in Anna's face, realizing that she had called her a few times before she reacted. These lapses in her mood were beginning to stir the fears inside.

"What?" she whispered distantly.

Anna watched her worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Elsa tried to shake off her mood. "I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired is all," she replied nervously, keeping her attention on Anna. She felt that if she kept turning her mind onto Yasha, she would succumb to this unnatural pull she felt and would once more do something terrible.

Seeing her mood deteriorate again, Anna reached out and rubbed her hands, finding them very cold. That was strange, as the weather had very little effect on her. Instead, she realized it was probably her mood influencing her powers and while normally that would have been a chilling thought, Anna knew she could help her keep them under control, just as long as she could be with her.

Yasha, on the other hand, was someone she had no idea how to handle.

Turning her eyes on the silent figure across the grotto, she let out a sigh at the upcoming challenge, though realized that if she let herself bend under the weight of it, there would be no way to support Elsa. Instead of bending, she intended on becoming the bridge that would grow between them. "Come on. I'll be right here with you. If he gets mouthy, we can do the whole frozen-butt thing," she said with a light smile.

Elsa felt the support in her touch, though the doubts remained. She had been naïve to think she could control him. It was difficult figuring out who had the advantage, since even in his weakest state he could disturb her with nothing more than his eyes. A part of her also feared that she would have to meet his unwavering resolve with another front of magic, as she wasn't convinced at all he would listen to reason and give up his task.

She saw no such accommodations in his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Anna dragged Elsa towards the silent creature as he continued to sit against the wall, watching them silently. As they approached, she noticed that the mouthy fire sprite was with him and frowned. That was something the situation didn't need, but she was pleasantly surprised when Sid appeared to be asleep and didn't move at their arrival. She could now focus her attention solely on Yasha.

"Uhm, hi. Remember me from that whole kidnapping thing?" she started, trying to break the ice. His eyes moved slowly to her, but he said nothing. She noticed how ragged he appeared and was distracted by worrying if he was okay, though the electricity in the air made her realize that she needed to move forward quickly, and that he would probably dismiss her concerns outright. "So, I know you've already met, but Yasha, this is my sister Elsa. She's that _Snow Queen_ you're so on about. But now that everyone's calmed down, and you kind of already got your butt kicked, I think we can have a nice, quiet conversation about how you'll, you know, not try and kill her. Okay?"

An awkward silence settled over them. Anna stood expectantly, Elsa still in fear. Kristoff was amazed at how strange that entire introduction came out, while Yasha's eyes had moved back to Elsa, though he continued his silence.

Nothing seemed like it could melt away the tension away, until someone else jumped into the mix. "So you're Yasha. I've heard so much about you," Olaf said, jumping out and offering his arms out to the brooding man, "I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!"

When Yasha's eyes shifted to him and glimmered with annoyance, Olaf sucked his singed arm back in and remembered the last time he saw that look. He laughed nervously. "But not that warm. Your hugs are a little too warm. Hot, actually. Like burning fire."

Even with the snowman's awkward interjection, Anna felt like the atmosphere was much better and nodded triumphantly, as if she had singlehandedly resolved the problem and put everyone on amicable terms. "Great! It sounds like we're all friends now. No need for fireballs or snowballs or any other kind of, well, magical balls. You're not trying to set anyone on fire, and you're not trying to turn anyone into a popsicle. Everyone can just get along. I knew the whole thing was just…" she ranted, but Yasha suddenly interrupted her in a powerful voice.

"I would speak with the Snow Queen."

"Alone."

His suggestion made Elsa wince and take a step back, her eyes filling with apprehension, though Anna felt the blow to her efforts and glared at him, feeling angry that he still wanted to command the mood. "Oh, I don't think so, mister moody-pants. The last time you had a little chat with her alone, things didn't end so well for you, if you remember," she huffed, putting her hands up around her neck and emulating the way he had been choked by Elsa's attack.

He didn't appear amused by the reference, or pay attention to Anna at all. "You wish me to give up on this quest against you? There is a way, Snow Queen. All you must do is consider my proposal," he continued.

Elsa was squirming under his gaze and rubbing her hands together harshly. She was both wavering under the possession to destroy him and utterly terrified of him, so speaking to him alone felt completely irrational. Anna wasn't oblivious to her mood and stepped between them, glaring intently at him as she continued to seethe. "Anything you have to say, you can say it to all of us. You got the whole set as soon as you kidnapped this princess from her bedroom, so don't think you're in any position to make demands," she declared, stabbing her hands onto her hips.

He shifted his eyes to her, finally giving her the attention she demanded. "And I promised to send you home unharmed when I had what I want, something you obviously did not embrace when you had the chance," he replied.

She bristled, though he couldn't keep his eyes on her for long and looked beyond her, to where Elsa was hiding in the background. "Your answer, Snow Queen? Would you listen, or shall we continue this dance until my terms are fulfilled?"

While Elsa ground her hands together, Anna growled and once again pounced between them, crouching down and stabbing her finger into his nose. "Don't you sit there and ignore me! I didn't put up with you for this long just to be ignored. If anyone's going to dance around here, it'll be me doing a folk-kick on your backside," she threatened. Yasha went cross-eyed as he looked at her imposing finger. He wasn't really sure how to react, especially as he was trying to set a certain mood with her sister, yet to anyone else it seemed like a very bad idea to provoke him, prompting Elsa to finally act.

"All right," she suddenly barked, making them all look at her. She hesitated slightly, her hands gnashed, but her jaw became firm and her shoulders square. She wore the mask of a queen and her presence regained some of its authority.

She only wished she could mask the fear in her eyes as well.

"I'll listen to your request, if it will put an end to this," she added, albeit quietly.

Feeling worried, Anna jumped up, showing her concerns on her sleeve. "Whoa, hang on, Elsa. This may not be the best idea. You have no idea how sneaky this guy can be. You don't need to do this alone," she objected.

"It's fine. If he wants to talk to a queen, then it's about time I act like one," Elsa replied, trying to put on airs. Anna wasn't convinced, but Elsa relaxed a bit and offered her a soft smile, letting her true feelings come though.

"I'll be okay, because you're near," she said thoughtfully.

While torn by the idea, the comment made Anna's heart soar and she held Elsa's hand tightly, feeling that as long as she had her sister's trust, there was nothing that could harm them, not even a broody, magic-wielding kidnapper. "Well, okay. But if he so much as breathes funny at you, I'll come back and sock him in the nose," she promised, presenting a balled fist to back up her claim. The display made Elsa laugh slightly, feeling better knowing she had such a devoted knight at her side.

"Thanks," she replied.

Anna gave her hand a final squeeze, then accepted that facing him alone might be what she needed to resolve her own issues, though she then looked down at Yasha with a scowl and presented the same tight fist in his direction. "If you so much as breathe funny, I'll…" she began when he interjected, cutting her off.

"I overheard. A good sock to the nose."

His submissive response satisfied her and she gave him a beautifully dominant look, showing that out of anyone in that grotto, she had the best grasp on his heart, and she would use it against him without a moment's regret. "That's right," she said, then abruptly pointed at her eyes and then to him.

"Eyes on you."

When he did nothing more than smirk in response, Olaf stared in disbelief of the difference in his reaction. He remembered that going much differently for him.

"Heeeeeeey…" he protested.

Feeling satisfied in her command over the situation, Anna turned to leave them alone when Kristoff grabbed her arm, showing great reservations in his eyes. He had been quiet for a long time, but the concern was evident on his face. "This isn't a good idea," he warned.

She looked at him a moment, then back to Elsa and Yasha. As much as Elsa was trying to appear in control, it was obvious she was still unstable, and Yasha stared up at her with his resolute eyes, intent upon setting his pace. The situation was obviously volatile, but she embraced the fact that everyone was talking, not hurling fireballs or icicles through the air.

She felt it was definitely an improvement.

"Nah, it'll be fine. Try not to worry so much," she remarked, patting him on the arm and nodding to the other side of the grotto.

As she walked off, confident that everything would work itself out, he eyed the two and shrugged in defeat, wondering why with the air filled with tension and obvious animosity, they were strolling off like wandering socialites in a ballroom.

"Am I the only one that thinks this is a bad idea?" he sighed, leading the rest to follow her.

Now alone, Elsa continued to present a royal face, looking down at Yasha as if he were bowing before her. Her hands were plastered to her waist and her eyes were drawn tightly in her superior position. He continued to sit, his eyes on her and his hands dangling off his knees, showing an unusual level of ease for the situation. More than she would admit, his liberated hands distracted her and she wavered slightly, only to reinforce her will and speak as powerfully as she could. It was difficult hiding the effect he had on her.

"Speak," she commanded.

He didn't obey, but continued to assess her. For the moment, he would suppress his seditious desires to go after her in light of new paths before him and the words of Nazir ringing in his mind. He had always been talented at reading people, though it didn't take any skill to see how bothered she was, or that her mask was as thin as her attempts to exert her authority over him. This was a new battle for them, and it was a battle of wills. Unlike the apparent gap in their powers, he had far more confidence in his chances in this battle.

"Return with me to Fria," he finally replied.

Her royal posture shattered and she blinked, unable to believe that she had heard him right. "I'm sorry?"

He shrugged lightly, talking smugly despite his subservient position, "It is a simple request, Snow Queen. Send your sister and the others back to your Arendelle. Journey with me to Fria, and I will no longer seek your life," he explained.

With another exasperated gasp, she had a hard time understanding his intent. She had expected him to demand some kind of payment or ransom, as she would expect of any criminal. He had constantly destroyed her expectations and that was frustrating to her. The very idea of being alone with him made a shiver run down her back and she slowly shook her head without even taking a moment to consider his suggestion.

"I don't think so," she answered, her brow twisted as she tried to figure what his was planning at, "Besides, Anna told me you couldn't return to your kingdom."

"True," he began, then slowly pushed his legs under him and scraped up the wall to his feet, watching how his ability to rise in front of her made panic run wild in her eyes. It was the response he wanted as he meticulously controlled the amount of terror he injected into her. "Should I be found in in Fria, I would be killed. But I moved about your Arendelle with no great trouble, even into the heart of your castle. Taking the Snow Queen to the mountain would not be impossible."

"I don't understand. Why would you want me to come with you?" she asked, confused beyond measure.

Yasha's pageantry faded away and his eyes became fierce.

"To freeze the FireHeart," he answered.

She was even more confused and furrowed her brow. It was unnerving enough to have to talk with him after he had so viciously come after her, but with his riddles and proposals, she found him very difficult to follow. "To freeze it? Isn't that exactly what your king fears and why he sent you after me?" she gasped.

"Indeed. That is exactly why King Nazir will never be prepared for it. We could return to the Scoria Chamber together instead of continuing this meaningless task, for I have no desire to hurt you or your sister. But after seeing the strength of your magic, I have come to understand that it is not your life I need to achieve my goals, but your help. Only your power can stop the ancient flame," he explained, carefully keeping his eyes locked on hers, "And save my people."

"Save your people?" she repeated.

Yasha shifted his eyes past her, to where Anna and the others were watching intently. He could tell that his movements had put them on edge and he was amused at Anna's intense glaring, yet he knew he had made the right choice in speaking to Elsa alone, where he could avoid the considerable influence she had over her sister. "The princess certainly told you of my desire to return home, but she did not tell you my reason," he explained. "I am not trying to simply return to my previous life. No, the only thing I have ever desired is to see the radiance of the FireHeart taken from the core of Fria and my people to be freed from the tyranny of King Nazir."

Elsa could barely believe what she was hearing, and no small part of her suspected this was all a lure, some kind of scam to get her to let her guard down. Yet the alleged reason made it impossible to continue to view him as a simple criminal and even harder to cling to her deaf hatred of him. By the look in his eyes, she could tell he wasn't lying, though something was also telling her that he was still hiding many things. Her head was swimming with doubts and suspicions.

"Isn't the FireHeart the source of your magic? Isn't Nazir your king?" she asked.

"King Nazir has no right to rule over a people he cares nothing about. How could any king watch his people suffer and die, with no pity and no remorse?" he snapped, pacing slightly in front of her. His reaction took her further off guard and, for the first time, she felt like she had seen his true self, the part of him that Anna had come to trust. Even against the suspicions she continued to cling to, seeing that part of him made her waver in her own mistrust and loosen her grip on the frightening memories of their battle.

"Your people suffer because of the FireHeart?" she asked, feeling seduced by the noble sentiment.

His attention went back to her and he realized he had been opening up too much, though he had no more control over the passion in his heart as he did over the schedule placed on him by Nazir. He tried to control himself better. "The FireHeart rests deep within Fria, the mountain my people have long thought as a protector. But the FireHeart is unnatural, and its power brings fires so hot, it melts any stone and forges any metal. These goods bring great wealth to Fria, but with that wealth comes death and sickness. From the moment a child is born in Fria, it breathes ash and smoke. The heat burns skin and scars faces, and the tremors…" he explained, unable to control the fury in his voice.

"The mountain opens up and devours that which is precious to us. And we continue on as a matter of routine."

Elsa was speechless. The situation he described was horrific and something she couldn't even imagine. Her own kingdom was serene and bright and not without its problems, but her people smiled and prospered, as she dedicated herself to ruling them fairly.

The idea of such a place made her begin to sympathize with Yasha.

"That's terrible. I had no idea such a place existed," she remarked, then focused her gaze and still tried to remain vigilant, "But how does freezing the FireHeart save your people?"

"Without the Heart, the mystic fires will not burn. The mountain would not give Nazir the wealth he desires. There would be nothing to keep my people so close to the mountain's danger, and they would be able to move away, to breathe fresh air," he explained, showing her the resolution he had for his plan. There was a markedly different tone in his voice now and he looked at her with new eyes, ones she had even a harder time resisting. "You have proven your power to be greater than mine, though I am but a sliver of the FireHeart's true strength. It would take all that you have to do this, but I would place my trust in one who has none for me, and do all that I could to protect you."

"There is no other path that does not require me to point my blade at you. As poor a choice as it is, it is the only one that relieves us both of my task."

Elsa was searching his eyes. She considered his words, frightfully against common sense and reason. As far as she could tell, he wasn't lying, but she had discovered that her mind didn't always prove clear when he was nearby. His stated reasons were nobler than expected and the thought of helping his people did attract her, as did the potential of stopping him from coming after her again. At the very least, when he didn't have the bloodlust in his eyes, she was able to keep down the dark urges that sat just beneath the surface, threatening to lash out and cloud her mind once more. What he asked of her was ridiculous, with any sane person wondering why she would agree to his terms. He had proven his villainous aptitude and wicked capacity, yet asking her for help made a considerable impression on her, one that was so prevailing that she felt her reason cracking under the pressure of his will.

The ferocity of his eyes was difficult to resist.

"What about Anna?" she asked, turning her head to escape back to the one shard of hope she had in resisting him.

Yasha's gaze moved past her and he met eyes with her sister. His expression didn't change. "She cannot follow. The dangers of this plan should be apparent and I cannot escort a regiment into Fria unseen. It is your power I need, and yours alone," he replied sharply, continuing his assault against her. "The FireHeart is a fearsome thing, as is its master. If you value her safety, tell her to return."

She hesitated. Her head turned to the side, she wanted to look back to her sister for support, but her eyes wouldn't follow, nor could she look to him with the sort of resolve he was expecting. She was an influx of emotions, between the fear of being at his mercy and the uncertainty of her own haunting rage. In truth, she wanted to run away and simply end this, leaving their fate in the air and return to her life back in Arendelle, yet she found that the allure of his eyes was stronger than she imagined, and that even though she feared the unbridled desire to destroy him, there was an equally powerful pull on her heart, urging her to obey him and come to the FireHeart.

"I don't know," she whispered, trying to wade through the torrent in her chest and finding her voice was just as her indecisive as her eyes.

Yasha's body tightened, with traces of orange flaring up in his eyes. He was doing his best to control his impatience and he could feel the will of the FireHeart in his chest. "This is no time for uncertainty. There is much at stake here and no time for pause. It is you who decides our fate, but rest assured that I will proceed without such hesitation when you choose," he swore, not giving her a moment's respite.

"It is you, and only you, who decides where I would cast my hand, Snow Queen."

Elsa slowly looked to him, finding his fierce expression intoxicating. Once more, the murky haze had touched the edges of her mind and she tried to speak, though nothing seemed to come out. This power he had over her felt stronger than before, despite the fact he had been weakened from their fight. She couldn't explain it, but only knew it felt similar to her magic, only residing deeper and more intimately within her. She didn't know what was more haunting, the depths of his pale gray eyes or the relentless whispers of the voice in her mind, but they both possessed her and made her resistance to him fade away.

As she answered, it felt like someone else was speaking with her voice.

"I'll come with you," she agreed.

In spite of her submission, he didn't relent in his gaze and appeared just as entranced. "Send Anna away," he demanded, "Leave your hesitation behind you."

"Come with me to the FireHeart."

Elsa could bear him no more and dropped her head, nodding as she knit her hands tightly across her waist. "I will," she whispered, swallowing harshly. Her eyes were at his feet and she didn't dare to meet his gaze again. She didn't trust him and she still feared him, but his words had a resounding effect on her. Where she had previously dreaded the idea of being separated from Anna, those fears were muted in the haze of her mind.

]Frighteningly, she still felt like someone else as she turned from him, took a deep breath, and walked towards the others to tell them of her decision.

Watching her go, his posture loosened and the orange faded from his eyes. Like her, he acted as if some invisible hand had suddenly let go of him, though he was easily able to dismiss it as he had put his plan into motion. He had told her more than he wanted to, with so much he had held back. His guilt began to eat away at him, but he knew this was what he had to do in order to walk forward, down the ultimate path that would give him everything he desired, even those things he hadn't told her about. Yet as he had already been her villain, he could live with these imminent sins against her, just as long as he put her on the right path.

Nothing else mattered beyond bringing the Snow Queen to the FireHeart.


	10. Aberrant Cause

**X**

Aberrant Cause

Anna stood silently, staring at Elsa. Her sister felt the weight of those eyes and frowned, her attention timid and her hands twisted into one another at her waist. Although she should have appeared confident in her reasoning, there was a clear lack of conviction in her decision, something that didn't bode well for her attempts to sway her. In that awkward silence, Anna's eyes shifted over to Yasha. He had no better luck in quietly convincing her. Incredulous and wanting to verify if she were actually hearing the proposal correctly, she then looked over to Kristoff, but his look of stupor only confirmed the fact that it was exactly as she had heard. She then looked back to the two standing before her, a scolding expression on her face and her mouth still hanging open.

It took her several moments to even know where to begin, though she inevitably went straight to Yasha.

"So let me get this right. You want to take my sister, the one that you're trying to kill, alone, back to your kingdom, where they'll supposedly kill you on sight, sneak her into a giant volcano where this FireHeart is and have her freeze it, which is exactly why your kooky king sent you to kill her in the first place?"

"Yes," he answered candidly.

"Uhm, no?" she sang just as candidly.

He appeared to have expected her response and that angered her as much as anything. As she was seething, she turned her attention back to Elsa, her concerns becoming much more intimate, though not losing any of their edge. "You can't seriously be thinking about this. It's insane! I mean, I can't find any part of it that even remotely sounds like a good idea. When I wanted you to work out your issues, this isn't what I had in mind!" she cried.

"I understand how you feel, but if freezing this FireHeart will help his people as he claims, and it stops him from coming after us, then I think it's worth the risk. Besides, although he's still dangerous, I think we've settled whose magic is stronger," Elsa replied, a bit of superiority flaring up in her voice.

A smirk crossed Yasha's face.

"That's great and all, but that still doesn't explain why you're going alone. If we all went…" Anna reasoned.

"It is not an option," Yasha quickly interjected, drawing a fierce glare from her. He ignored it. "You expect too much from me if you believe I can march a small parade into the Scoria Chamber without notice, Princess. Only the Snow Queen may come."

"Oh, I'm so done listening to the moody kidnapper right now," she hissed.

She suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to smack him once more, but Elsa was quick to come between them. "Anna, this seems to be the only way that everyone gets what they want, even if it's not the perfect solution to any of our problems. Right now, it may be the only choice we have," she said, watching her sister turn back with more objections hot on her lips, though she moved quickly to move past them, "I want you to go back to Arendelle and take charge until I return. We can't both be gone, and it's too dangerous for you to come."

"Too dangerous?" Anna cawed, annoyed Elsa could even try to make that her argument, "Did you forget who trekked up the side of a frozen mountain to chase her flighty sister? Did you forget to faced wolves and angry snowmen just to get a chance to talk some sense into her?"

No small part of her felt abandoned by the plan, for she had seen herself mediating their fate until there was no more hostility between them. She had no allusions that they would become fast friends, but she also saw the parallels in them, with their magic a common factor in why they shouldn't be turning it on one another.

She wanted to be the one that brought them together.

"If you think I'll sit by while the two of you go skipping off into the sunset to try and freeze this stupid FireHeart, I don't think either of you know me as well as you think you do."

At this point, no one appeared to be able to defend against her solid objections, until the most unlikely person stepped up and took her arm softly. "Come on, Anna, let's do as the queen says," Kristoff said, though judging by the look on his face, he was aware of how precarious his position was. He wouldn't try to hide his reservations, but the points about her safety struck strongly with him and he was prepared to suffer her wrath to preserve her well-being.

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!" Anna protested hotly.

"I _am _on your side. That's why I'm taking you away from the giant volcano and not towards it," he replied. She was breathing heavily, trying to navigate all of the resistance around her, but he had that same, collected expression on his face that proved he had thought it through before speaking up. He rarely moved without checking the ground in front of him.

"Besides, when it comes to dealing with some magical ball of fire, we should let those with the magic handle it," he added.

The logic in his argument was powerful, but Anna's head wasn't swimming with logic, nor was her heart. Something about the situation felt very wrong to her, though she couldn't put it into words. It became especially evident when she looked back Yasha. A shiver ran through her when she saw the look on his face and the masked intent hiding somewhere behind his eyes.

For some reason, she didn't like his expression at all.

"Anna, you said you trusted him," Elsa offered.

"Only when I can keep my eye on him," she snarled back.

"Then trust my judgment," Elsa replied, stepping to her and taking her hands. She didn't look convinced, but Elsa offered a weak smile, at least finding one part of this endeavor that did make sense to her. "Maybe a part of this is finding out what good my magic can do, when all I've done is cause problems for so many. He says only my power could stop this FireHeart, and if he's willing to risk his life for the sake of his people, maybe he deserves a little bit of trust," she continued, the doubts in her eyes chained to the glimpse of hope she had for him.

Yasha stood under their scrutiny, hiding his emotions well. He hoped that not even Anna could detect the turmoil within, for he secretly had many reservations about their path forward, though he had already resigned himself to the necessity of it. With Nazir's commands in his head, he had to get the Snow Queen back to Fria, regardless of what he had to do. He also knew this was the hardest part of his plan, to separate the sisters, so it was also the most critical time for his steadfast performance. If Anna suspected him even for a moment or convinced Elsa to let her join them, it would complicate things greatly. He did find it ironic that they both searched so hard for reasons to trust him when he had done nothing to earn it, especially as he strangled the truth right before them and didn't hesitate for a moment to do what it took to reach his ends.

In all honesty, he knew he wouldn't have been so trusting had he been in their place.

"Elsa," Anna sighed, bringing her sister's attention back with a squeeze of her hands, "I really don't want you to do this. It isn't about who I trust and who I don't, but just the bad feeling I have. Something about it just feels wrong and I'm worried about you. I really want you to think about what you're about to do."

Elsa mirrored her doubts, but clung to the noble sentiment of saving Yasha's people. In addition, the strange haze still lingered in the corners of her mind. It continued to whisper to her about coming to the FireHeart.

"It's the right thing to do," she answered.

While she still marveled at the absurdity of it, Anna felt the nobility of those words and reluctantly tapped her foot in defeat. It was a strange thing to feel so strongly about something and know you had to let it go. She wondered how much of her decision was because she desperately wanted to be right about Yasha.

"Yeah, I guess it is," she sighed in resignation. "Just promise me that you'll be careful and come back safe."

"I promise," Elsa replied.

Feeling she had lost the battle to be their bridge, Anna's expression then fouled as she shifted her attention to Yasha, not allowing the same level of affection she previously had. "And you. I'm so not your friend right now. If anything happens to my sister, or if you get any funny ideas going through that thick head of yours, the things she did to you will seem like a massage compared what I'll do," she warned, brandishing her finger at him.

"I…will…hurt…you."

"Your concerns are unnecessary, Princess. Nothing is as important to me as getting the Snow Queen to the FireHeart safely. You have my word on that," he assured her, hiding lies within truths.

The tension didn't weaken and silence permeated the grotto. No one but Yasha seemed confident of this plan, as if everyone had fallen victim to his pace. None of them knew of Nazir's orders to bring Elsa to Fria, and Yasha's performance had broken apart the sisters as needed. Yet a strange hesitation hung over them all.

It wasn't until something came crawling out of Yasha's shirt and burned brightly against the dim light did the world seem to move. Sid's reappearance dispelled the hesitation and drew everyone's attention on her, though she seemed little interested in anything but the proximity she had to her master. "Ugh, can we go now? I'm tired of listening to the bait," she yawned, hanging on the lip of his shirt. Anna winced at the sight of the sprite, while Elsa stared intently. The realities of his magic were potent and she was able to instantly draw the parallel with Olaf, finding that the similarities only drew her in further to the idea of going with him.

Kristoff was also amazed by the magical creature, but something more practical came to mind as he watched her tiny, flaming body rage brightly against his skin. "Doesn't that hurt?" he asked.

Yasha cocked his head at the question. Only after a moment did he follow. "If you are referring to her flames, then no, it does not. Being touched by the FireHeart, I cannot be burned by flame," he explained. They were astonished by that, though the logic was apparent, at least to him. He dismissed their amazement to look down at Sid and smirk at her content sighing. "Before we depart, I am going to do something about my filthy appearance. You, Sid, should remove yourself from there, unless you wish to be doused out of existence."

She pouted and slumped over the lip of his shirt, uninterested in giving up such an intimate place. "Might be worth it," she sighed, throwing a dismissively gesture towards the two royal sisters, "Besides, why not just stay dirty? It's not like you need to clean up for the bait or the snow hussy."

"Snow hussy?" Elsa coughed indignantly.

Anna was only slightly less offended. "Ugh, you get used to it. That little fireball needs to learn some manners," she complained, then looked around, "She's not nearly as pleasant as our Olaf."

As she looked for his agreement, she found him fixed upon Sid once more, his eyes sparkling and his hands locked together shyly. He was obviously still smitten by her. "There she is again. My little fire angel," he sighed, far beyond any criticism of her.

At Yasha's insistence, Sid fluttered out of his clothing and lamely hovered in the air, watching him leave them all and head towards the pool of water. While she knew about his secret discussion with King Nazir and that this was all a ruse to get Elsa back to the FireHeart, she didn't like the idea of traveling with such a dangerous and beautiful woman. Just her presence made the sprite shudder, as their elements were at complete odds, not to mention that she was already disturbed at how easily Yasha had become attached to Anna. The journey to Fria was going to fray every last string of her patience and she was already feeling annoyed.

For some reason, that annoyance suddenly became stronger. "So your name is Sid?" said a familiar voice and she whirled around to find the smiling snowman's introduction. "I'm Olaf!"

She reeled backwards. "Eww, not this oaf again," she groaned.

"Not oaf. Olaf," he replied, correcting her, "Oh-lah-ff. And has anyone ever told you that you're beautiful when you're angry…and on fire?"

The sprite flared. "Take a hint, frosty!" she huffed and zipped around his head, lighting the twigs there on fire, then soared off into the grotto and away from him. Once more, Olaf shrieked and clawed at his head, wondering just how much of him would be charred black before the end of the day, but suddenly felt a wave of cold air blow over him as Elsa flicked her hand out, making the fire go out and magically restoring his twigs to their rightful state. The snowman grinned at the full use of his hand again and looked to her affectionately, though there was still a sheepish chuckle for his courtship of the fire sprite.

"She's just playing hard to get," he remarked.

Not to be turned off of his pursuit, he strolled after her, calling loudly into the grotto and following the sounds of her disgusted groaning. Elsa was satisfied with the restoration of his body and then turned her attention to Anna, frowning at the ragged condition of her dress. "Now, let's do something about you," she said and twirled her hand, making a wave of magic run over her. Anna giggled as the magic tickled her skin and her rags were magically changed into a dark blue dress with pale gray accents, far more suitable for being outside, with sleeves all the way down to her wrists and a heavy shawl hanging over her shoulders. Like Elsa's dress, there were swirls of beautiful patterns near the hems, and a cylindrical, fur-like hat that popped into being on her head. It was delicately made of snow crystals that somehow survived the heat of the caves.

Once the magic did its work, Elsa was busy looking her over, satisfied with her tastes, while Anna twisted and turned to look over her magical dress. "It's amazing!" she said, remarking how even in the dull heat of the caves, it was cool against her skin. The feeling was refreshing.

After a moment though, she tugged at the long sleeves and the heavy shawl, quirking her brow as she looked to her sister. "Isn't it a bit much, though?" she remarked, surprised that her dress was so conservative while Elsa's was not. Inwardly, she suspected Elsa was still angry over Yasha's liberal cutting of her clothing.

"It's fine," Elsa replied sharply.

Now she was sure of it.

Dismissing the smothering nature of her dress, Anna turned to ask Kristoff what he thought, though she found that he was watching Olaf as he was trying to chase down Sid. The fire sprite obviously wanted nothing to do with the snowman, but it didn't seem to discourage him. Kristoff was amused by the entire thing and watched with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face, denying Anna the compliments she wanted to hear.

Pouting, she turned her back to give him the cold shoulder, which suddenly felt easier as her new magical dress seemed to bleed out cold air. "Hmph, would it kill him to notice a girl's new dress? Someone needs to get his priorities in…" she began until something at the far side of the cave strangled her attention and caused her eyes to widen, her mouth to hanging open.

"Whoa boy…"

Elsa was surprised by her sudden change in attitude and followed her eyes, twisting her brow as she tried to imagine what could draw such a response from her sister.

When she found it, she gasped as well, her expression mirroring Anna's perfectly.

Yasha was kneeling in the pool of water, his hands resting on his thighs and his head leaned back as cool water ran back from his face. He was no longer wearing his shirt and only the leather sleeves remained tied to his arms, coming up over his shoulders and tying across the top of his chest and back. For the first time, they could see how lean and muscular he was and the many scars that marked him, a product of living on the fringes of nature and struggling each day to survive. The sleeves set an exotic air about him, and the water was washing away all of the dirt, but this was only part of the allure. The clean water had pulled back his long dark hair from his face. It released his handsome features from the feral drape and his dark hair was now smoothed out and swept back, though still retaining a flare of wildness in its length. He appeared like an entirely different person with the dirt washed away, making them both gawk at the stark difference of his appearance.

They were also not accustomed to having men so bare before them.

Kristoff, who had moved on from Olaf's quest for Sid's heart, turned back, his head shaking. He knew the snowman had an impossible task to accomplish, but he had to admire his dedication. When he found Anna and Elsa acting strangely, his smirk faded away and he followed their eyes, finding this wicked-apparent kneeling in the water in a meditative state. Seeing the affect he had on the both of them made a hot fury wash through his veins.

In that flood of emotions, he could only manage one word.

"Seriously?"

Anna snapped out of her daze and looked to him, her face still blushing, which was made even worse by the fact that he had found her gawking. "Oh! Uhm, this isn't…I mean, we weren't…you know, looking at anything in particular. Definitely not anything on _that_ side of the cave," she stuttered, trying to whittle down his anger. He continued to glare, unable to form any tangible words, and this only made her more anxious and eager to escape the situation.

Ultimately, she found that the easiest way to repent was to just run away. "I, uh, need to go over here now, and, well, look for something. So, uhm, bye," she said quickly, turning to escape.

At her side, she was confronted with her sister's milder reaction, noticing the way she had been standing to the side and staring to the ground with an embarrassed blush on her face. Anna envied her moderate response, but she was also slightly annoyed and elbowed her in the arm to get her attention. "Why don't you come and help me, _sis_?" she said with her teeth grit.

The jarring elbow shook Elsa away from her quest to avoid the scene and she blinked, though her eyes still seemed distant. "Look for something?"

Feeling she would get no help, Anna locked her arm into Elsa's and dragged her to the other side of the grotto, where they would be out of sight from Yasha's impromptu bath. Kristoff watched them go, his mouth twisted and his mood foul. It was bad enough to have to trust this man with Elsa's fate, but seeing the kind of effect he had on them made him only despise him more.

"I should have slugged him when I had the chance," he grunted, unsure why women had such a strange fascination with men of dubious character.

After cleaning up, Yasha had replaced his shirt and felt the fabric clinging to his wet body. Idly, he considered using his refreshed powers to dry himself as he had so many times in his youth, though he thought better on it, as he was trying to keep his recovery a secret from his new companions. He never thought he would be allying himself with them in a bid to return home. That allotted fate was especially potent as he felt his magic surging, and a part of him now wondered of his renewed chances against the Snow Queen, though the idea was quickly dismissed as he looked across the grotto to her. It was no time to satisfy his pride and he was certain she was still far more powerful, something that continued to bewilder him.

Quietly, he tried to imagine what embracing the FireHeart would mean and if his new powers would be superior to hers. He also wondered what could have possibly happened to her to make her so timid when she already had such power.

"Can we go now?" whined Sid as she suddenly quickly took refuge behind his back and peeked over his shoulder, tired of being pursued by the snowman. Olaf was chasing, yet stopped before Yasha and the familiar look of annoyance on his face. Distraught, he halted his advance with a sigh and decided to keep his distance, trudging back over to Sven in order to lament his failure to capture her.

Yasha watched him retreat, then sighed as he pushed his hands back through his damp hair, glad to finally have it out of his face. Usually, he had little regard for his appearance, but in the company of these royal sisters he suddenly felt conscious of his looks and combed his fingers through it in a vain attempt to not look like a feral animal.

The reason for that escaped him.

"Yes. It is time to finally leave this place," he remarked, then walked over to his destroyed furniture, looking at it with very little remorse. He had lived there for nearly ten years, yet it wasn't home. The grotto had simply been a place to sleep while trying not to die. He felt nothing about abandoning it.

Finding his robes to be completely lodged under an immovable stone, he decided to leave them, as well as the dented mask he had worn on many occasions. The sight of his ravaged books did make him sigh, as if they were the only part of the grotto he would miss.

In the end, the only things he took from the wreckage were his bamboo flute, which he carefully tucked into his belt, and the misshapen ring on the leather cord. Looking it over, he took a moment of reverence before he slipped it around his neck and tucked it into his shirt, safely against his heart. It had been a while since he had carried it, and he shivered slightly as the sharp edges rubbed against his skin.

Quietly, he mulled over its significance.

After gathering what he needed, he resolutely turned and headed towards this group of strangers he had come to know, eyeing each of them for their bizarre variety. The Snow Queen was radiant with beauty and ironically gifted with the most powerful magic he had ever seen, yet suffered fear and hesitation so fiercely that it entombed her, creating this vortex of power and fear that could consume the world around her. In Anna, he still found himself intimidated by her capacity to be honest and utterly fearless in contrast to her sister, not to mention as intoxicating as any ale he had known. While at odds with Kristoff, he saw the eyes of a survivor and a man that knew how to act when the situation called for it. Even the snowman was gifted with unassuming perception. Apart, they were a mess of noble but fragmented qualities, but together they fit together to create this beautifully fluid dynamic that tempered desperation, ignorance and fear. He imagined that being with them would have been rewarding, if the world had been a different place. He wanted to insert himself into their party, to imagine how he could fit in. He thought that, perhaps, he could extend the strange friendship that he forged with Anna, and that they would accept him despite his apparent flaws.

With his grotto destroyed and his life fleeting, he was reminded of his loneliness and felt the overwhelming desire to forget his fate and his schemes, to embrace truth and accept their judgments of him and his cause. In that, at least, there would be relief, with no more lies and no more isolation. Even with their admonishments, at least he wouldn't be alone.

As a shiver of hesitation rippled through him, the ring at his neck scraped over his heart and tore away the fantasy, making him reach up and feel the disfigured metal under his shirt. It was a reminder that his loneliness was payment for the path and that he didn't have the luxury to make friends. There would be no vindication to the mountain man or pleasant banter with the playful princess. There would be no chance to vindicate himself to the Snow Queen.

There was only the task ahead, and it had only one end.

Exhaling sharply, he shook off the longings of his heart and briskly walked over to the gathering group, wiping away any trace of his hesitation and hardening his eyes to the realities of the world. Once more, he focused on Elsa and wished to quickly get underway before anything else, inside or out, could delay them.

"It is time to journey to Fria, Snow Queen. Are you prepared?" he demanded.

The reality of their departure made her frown and pause once more, though she was more confident after talking with Anna. There was still much doubt in her eyes, but she had resolved to no longer hesitate. Once a choice was made, she wanted to hold to it, regardless of the doubts she felt.

Taking a deep breath and bracing herself against the forcefulness of his eyes, she straightened her back and nodded.

"I'm ready."

He nodded in return and turned to leave, ignoring everyone else. It quickly became apparent, however, that Anna wasn't going to let him escape so easily. "Yasha," she said softly, making him pause.

A strange feeling overcame him and he had to keep looking away to sufficiently hide it from her. Slowly, he turned back and found her standing before him, holding something in her hands. It was his Xenocryst, the dagger he had lost in the battle with Elsa, and he suddenly realized he had been so focused on leaving, he had forgotten it completely. The princess stood before him, clutching it like a prayer book, the handle touching her chest. She was looking up at him, her eyes obviously torn by him taking Elsa from her and her striking expression was why he had been avoiding her.

It was difficult facing her honest eyes knowing he might ultimately betray her.

Slowly, she pushed the handle of the dagger towards him and touched it to his chest, the blade pointed dangerously at her own. "This is my trust in you. You should know what my sister means to me, and I can't even try to explain how much I hate your plan. The only reason I'm going along with this is because in spite of everything that's happened, I trust you. I believe in you."

"I want you to take this…" she said, pressing the pommel into him and letting her eyes force her expectations upon him. "…and do everything you can to avoid my unrequited hatred of you."

Using his own words against him rattled his resolve. He slowly reached up to take the dagger, but stopped before he could grasp it, his fingers gnarled with the turmoil in his heart. Making his Xenocryst a covenant between them was devious and he wondered if he had misjudged her cunning, but he knew he couldn't consider her actions as simple manipulation, as the look in her eyes told him far more than her words ever could. Anna would use any means necessary to bind him to Elsa and make sure he looked after her.

That was her resolve, and he couldn't fault her for it.

Suddenly, he felt unable to betray her, as even the short time between them felt like a lifetime of friendship. He still had no idea when he had fallen under her spell. "You have my word, Princess," he said, avoiding any double meanings or hidden intent.

Among his greatest regrets was that he didn't have the opportunity to honestly be her friend, and those regrets were searing in his chest as he finally retook his dagger, pulling it from her heart and replacing it in its empty sheath on his belt.

"All right. _Now _you may call me Anna again," she announced, talking down to him as a small, personal revenge.

While the remark made a slight smile touch the corner of his lips, he felt he couldn't endure her attention any longer and turned away, finding an angry glare from Kristoff aimed straight at him. He didn't blame him either, though there was nothing to say that could appease him. Strangely, he found himself jealous that this burly man had earned Anna's heart and that he had the station to stand next to her. A part of him respected that and he wished that he could have done something to find redemption from him, though in the end he could only bear that anger with silence.

He would just accept the hatred that showed in his eyes.

Feeling hurried, Yasha suddenly looked to Elsa, giving her the least amount of regard as he was confident there was still so much sin left ahead of him. "Say your farewells quickly," he said and looked to flee from their circle as quickly as he could.

Before he could leave, he paused. Deep down, he knew this would be the last time he would ever be where he was now. He had trouble hiding the sadness in his voice as he stared down at the ground at his side, not even able to look back one last time.

His voice was sad and penitent.

"Goodbye, Anna."

The weight of his words hung in the air, and he then hurried towards the remaining pathway that led to Fria and disappeared into the darkness beyond. His tone had been like funeral bells and she watched him leave with a strange realization rising within her. Instead of the ever-present fear that she would never see Elsa again, it felt more likely that the one that she would never meet again was Yasha.

For some reason, that made her chest hurt.

"Anna," Elsa said, breaking her away from that mood. Her sister stood before her, but suddenly felt as if she didn't know what to say. Neither of them knew exactly how to react to the situation and the way it didn't fit any measure of their expectations. Elsa's departure and her reasons behind it were still flawed and neither of them had been able to succeed in convincing the other of the prudence in their choices. At best, it was simply the lesser of two evils and the only way to spare them from the cruelty of Yasha's unwavering resolve.

Anna shook off her premonitions and managed a bitter laugh as she took her sister's hands. "It's still not too late to change your mind, you know. We can still go back home together, get about a hundred more guards for the castle and order them to arrest any moody kidnappers shooting fire from their hands," she suggested, trying a pale attempt at humor but also not beyond going through with that option as long as it spared Elsa of the danger of Yasha's plan.

The suggestion made an equally bitter laugh escape Elsa's lips. "I'm tempted, but it's all right, Anna. Everything's going to turn out okay," she replied, still not convincing herself of her words. They were both being stubborn and they were both unsure about many things, but the one thing that Elsa was sure about was that if she wanted to learn more about her magic and herself, she had to do this.

Something deep inside told her she had to do this.

Slowly, she turned her attention beyond her sister and eyed Kristoff, finding his pensive gaze garnishing the mood. "You'll see her home safely? Make sure she stays out of trouble?" she asked.

Kristoff stiffened at her attention. "You have my word, Your Majesty," he swore.

The confidence in his voice made her smile and nod, then she returned her gaze back to her sister, terrified of once more letting her out of her sight. "Take care of things back home until I get back. The regent might be a little angry, but try and make him understand," she said, squeezing her hands tightly as she clung to every moment with her.

Anna relapsed at how dangerous this journey was going to be, making her fragile consent began to crack and thaw. Suddenly embracing her, she tried to hide her feelings by pressing her head against Elsa's, sucking in sharp breaths. "Take care of yourself. Don't do anything I would do. Just freeze that thing and come right back," she whimpered as she tried to touch as much of her as she could before she left. "And definitely sleep with one eye open."

"I will," Elsa replied, stepping back and trying to hold her smile.

Her fears unconquered and her heart beating wildly, she backed away, letting her hand slide down her sister's arm until only their fingers were touching, until that too became a cherished memory instantly clenched in her heart. "I'll be home soon," she reminded her, then turned before she lost all of her nerve.

Despite wanting to keep her sister close, her footsteps quickly carried across the cluttered cavern, where she found Yasha standing deep within a murky passageway, shadowed by the darkness and his eyes intently glowing. The sight of him made her pause and want to look away, but she knew that if she continued to look back, she would never conquer him. It was the first step she had to take on this journey and it began with looking forward, right into his powerful eyes, and not flinching. She didn't exactly know what path lay before her, where she would travel with a man she feared in order to use her magic to assault the mysterious FireHeart, but something kept her moving forward, not as confident as she wanted but still feeling that somehow it was the right thing to do.

Her hand on the cave entrance and her dry lips pursed, she took a deep breath, pushed down the fear of this creature in the shadows and stepped into the dark passage where he awaited her.


	11. The Path to Fria

**XI**

The Path to Fria

Gnarled into a maze of passageways and fraught with shadows, the cave system near Fria seemed to go on endlessly, winding through stone carved by centuries of moving water, but ultimately finding its way out of the darkness to deliver Elsa and Yasha into craggy mountains still untouched by the cold of winter around them. Unlike the Weeping Valley, there were many more trees and plants on this side of the caves, and they were thick and tall from the deposits of burned minerals in the ground, covering the landscape with dark waves of branches moved by wind and the almost-forgotten sounds of animals and life.

Seeing the starry sky and feeling the wind on her neck, Elsa was relieved to have gotten out of the ground, but taking the time to stop and enjoy it reminded her how tired she felt. For the first time since leaving Arendelle, she realized she hadn't rested since before the long, tiring day that Anna was taken. It had been a frantic push to chase them down, only to then face a desperate fight where she had been taxed both mentally and physically. Even the calmer moments in the caves had been pierced by the emotional stress of dealing with her dangerous companion and the unnatural presence that continued to assault her senses. As if unaffected by these same elements, his pace had been relentless and he hadn't given her any time to catch her breath, making her wonder why he had so much vigor after appearing near death only hours before, though she barely had any more strength to consider it as she felt fatigue drag her body down.

She was exhausted, and her journey had only just begun.

With only a short moment to enjoy the fresh air, he was already walking ahead of her, silent and barely acknowledging her presence. She found his company cold, in spite of his fiery magic, though she realized that there was no standard for them, as the only things they shared so far had been fear, anger and pain. She followed, continuing to keep him ahead of her, her breath coming out in rattling pulses. Every passing moment was spent anticipating his sudden decision to turn on her and go back on their agreement, though all of her anxious moments were met with nothing but him keeping his word.

While there was a certain relief in that, she hadn't expected the silence of their journey to weigh so heavily on her mind, as well as how his cold demeanor bothered her.

When she stumbled, he didn't pause.

When she gasped in pain, he didn't look back.

He simply expected her to keep up with him and she was beginning to think he saw that as a small measure of revenge, though she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her fall behind, and they continued in silence for far longer than her exhaustion would allow.

Distracted and buried in the enmity that hung in the air, she suddenly took a careless step onto a loose rock and stumbled, lurching into a nearby tree for support. Letting out a slight yelp, she sucked in air between her teeth and slipped to the ground, rubbing her leg and bringing their pace to a grinding halt. The pain didn't feel serious, but it stretched her thin patience. Unlike before, she found she couldn't simply push herself to her feet again and she tiredly dropped her forehead onto her wrist, taking the time to try and recover. She didn't care if he stopped for her. As much as she had been steeling herself for the task ahead, she realized that if she were to challenge this FireHeart of his, she was going to have to catch her breath.

"Can you stand?" a close voice called.

Having expected him to either walk on or complain, she was shocked to find him standing over her, his hand extended out to help. The abrupt contrast to the way he had been treating her rattled her contempt, making her look up with a staggered expression and a breath lodged firmly in her chest.

She hated it when he didn't act the way she wanted him to.

Brushing aside his surprisingly chivalrous act, she wrapped herself back around her expectations and looked away, huffing shortly at his offer. "I'm fine," she answered. She didn't take his hand, but rather adjusted her position on the ground to let her back rest against the tree, leaning heavily against it and sighing in exhaustion. "I just need to rest for a moment."

Seeing that she wasn't going to continue on, he stood straight and sighed, looking ahead impatiently. If possible, he wanted to walk all the way to the Scoria Chamber without delay, but a part of him knew that was impossible. Fria wasn't far, but impossible to reach on foot without resting, even for those that were fresh.

Knowing she wouldn't let him carry her and realizing he probably couldn't if he tried, he decided to let her have her isolation. Once again buried under the tension, he stiffly walked over to another tree, leaning against it and trying to let his mind wander. Crossing his arms, he took a deep breath and resolved to let them rest, if only for a little while.

Elsa was taking great care to ignore his movements, while at the same time judging his distance. Fatigue washed over her. The roots under her arm felt like couch cushion and the rough bark felt like silken bed sheets. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so tired and annoyed, making her temper feel like a monster looming just beneath her careful, practiced mask.

Fighting her irritation and closing her eyes, she purposely let her mind drift into the haze and she tried to think of things other than this dubious partner of hers, though never letting him completely slip away.

In spite of her position, felt confident she would realize it if he came too close to her.

As soon as she had relaxed, the soft sounds of a flute began to fill her mind and pushed away the satisfying stillness, bringing back the weight and the heat of the world. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she felt new aches and pains in her back, making her groan slightly as she moved. It took a moment to regain her bearings, but she found the sky still dark, except for the moon crawling its way overhead, and the details of her situation began to return, making her anxiety rise and her eyes search around for her companion. He was no longer where he was before, but sitting casually on a fallen tree further away, his back to her. As she continued to struggle against the aches in her body, she wondered why she hadn't heard him move. It also took a moment to realize that the beautiful melody in her ears was coming from him, where a few short glimpses of his bamboo flute could be seen as he swayed with the tune. While the sounds were beautiful, she was annoyed he would disturb her few moments of rest and she tried to stretch out the tightness in her body, her throat squeaking slightly as the tension bled from her muscles and skin. Much to her surprise, she felt much better than before, as if those few moments had wrestled all of the fatigue from her. Not even her ankle seemed to hurt.

"Five hours," he suddenly said.

His voice startled her and she didn't realize he had stopped playing. "What did you say?" she asked, her face clenched in confusion.

"You were asleep for five hours," he repeated, sliding down from the tree to face her, his flute held loosely in his hand, "It was quite a spectacle, as if I stumbled across Titania herself, carelessly asleep before any that might come across her. I doubt many others have witnessed a fairy queen sleeping so peacefully in the woods."

"What?" she gasped in shock.

His remarks made her blush and press her hand to her forehead, as if trying to gauge some kind of fever she might have that would cause her to pass out for such a long time. It had only felt like moments under the tree, so she had a hard time believing him. "That can't be right. I only rested for a moment," she said, trying to remember the point where she could have fallen asleep.

Just the thought of being so helpless with him around made her heart beat faster and she suddenly gasped and pawed around her dress, looking for some kind of indication he had violated her. Being at the mercy of this criminal for five hours sent her imagination into a flurry, with every scenario making her temperature rise and her skin prickle. Her hands ended up at her chest and she clenched them tightly for protection, with broad accusations in her eyes.

The entire performance seemed to amuse him. "Your opinion of me is quite low," he remarked. "I believe those are the same eyes as when we first met. You truly suspect I treated your sister so poorly?"

She remembered how she had felt when their eyes first met and how she was certain the man had done something to Anna. At the moment, she suspected him of doing something equally vulgar to her, despite any evidence to support it. She also remembered the disturbing sensations of pleasure at grinding him with her ice and she forcefully shook the memories away, infuriated at him for being able to stir up such primal feelings. All she knew was the heat in her face wouldn't stop burning, and that she didn't appreciate his expression at all.

"I'm not sure I can believe any of your pleas of innocence, especially when it comes to Anna," she warned.

Her response him frown. "That is unfortunate, though I would give them to you anyway," he replied, and he tried to dismiss her accusations with a strangely courteous bow.

"For my honor, I did nothing for you question hers."

"Or yours."

The implication made her cheeks burn even more and she gathered her strength, brushing off her dress and rising in an awkward, hurried lurch. The way he continued to look at her made her irritation grow and she huffed, walking past him to dismiss the vulgar subject, but also escape his eyes. "There's no need to rest any longer. We can move on," she said, trying to take control of their pace.

Stomping a few steps ahead, she was ignoring him as best she could, but suddenly stopped and looked into the forest around her, realizing she had no idea where they were. Stepping from foot to foot, she was unsure which direction to go, her braid whipping back and forth as she looked for some kind of indication of their path, though nothing was worse than admitting her uncertainty, especially with her face still on fire.

"Fria is to your left," he offered over his shoulder.

She whirled around to glare at him, trying to think of something to say. His tone was aggravating, but she had no response that could adequately show her annoyance, especially as he was the only one that knew the way. She considered putting a snowball into the back of his head, but in the end she could only caw in embarrassment and stomp away to the left, not even bothering to wait for him to follow.

Her tantrum made a slight smile come over his face and he casually replaced his flute in his belt, and then turned to walk after her.

In a turn of events, Elsa was now leading them down their path, walking hot and silent, despite the fact she could barely see it at times. There were obvious signs, such as ancient cobblestones surfacing from the black earth, but at other times there wasn't even an opening in the trees. Yasha discovered a talent for indicating the direction she should go without saying a word, and their little games were surprisingly entertaining. He knew he had an effect on her, but watching it turn her in circles was satisfying, especially when she ultimately moved in exactly the direction he wanted her to go.

He knew that would come in handy soon.

For Elsa, his games were infuriating, though she soon realized that it didn't bother her that he was walking behind her instead of safely in sight. It wasn't because she trusted him, but because she was tired of looking at his back as he silently marched along. Why that bothered her, she didn't know, but she had felt her mood growing more irritated as they went on, just by him being nearby. She still didn't understand the part of her that furiously sought his death, but even less so the part of her that dwelt upon him in spite of how fiercely she tried to push him from her mind.

_He's just a criminal. He's dangerous, like an animal. Who knows what he's capable of?_

_He took Anna and tried to kill you. If you give him the chance, he'll show his true nature. _

_There's no reason to trust him. He'll betray you as soon as he gets a chance._

_And yet…why is this silence between us so heavy?_

It was the silence that allowed something to slowly rise up in her, though it was so subtle that she barely even noticed it at all. At first, it was like whispers in the trees, or a thought that escaped her and came circling back, purified and innocent. Every step they took towards Fria made it worse, to the point where she could no longer ignore it. It was tied to the frightening feelings she felt every time she faced his magic, or used her own against him, and it was that extraordinary origin that made her skin bead with sweat, and her breath clutch in her throat.

The haze obeyed its murmur.

Her fear fed off its whine.

After letting it grow in her head and in her chest, she suddenly found it was no longer a whisper, but a voice screaming over everything else, yet she still had no idea where it was coming from, or even what it was saying.

Without warning she came to a stop, her posture frigid and her body tense. He noted her abrupt movement and watched her familiar braid whipping around as she searched the forest, her hands clawed at her sides. He didn't think much of it and moved to show her the way, though she didn't stumble forward as he drew near, as was their game. His brows rose at her abnormal pace and the proximity she was suddenly allowing, wondering if this was just a new twist on their revue.

"The path lies forward," he remarked.

Now thinking she might be tired of playing, he rolled his eyes and walked past her, intending to lead on, but a sideward glance to her face made an overpowering alarm shoot through him and before he knew it, he had leapt back, his body tightened and his eyes alight. He didn't even realize that his hand had moved to the handle of his dagger, but he was poised to defend himself from her, yet he had no idea why. All he knew was he suddenly felt like the most dangerous thing in his world.

Elsa was staring forward, her hands clutching her arms and her body shivering uncontrollably. Her lips were blue and hanging open, and there was the most beautiful ring of turquoise glowing brightly in her eyes. Vaporous breaths were puffing from her lips and small particles of ice circled her, though they had no effect on the air or ground nearby. The air was electric between them, with neither of them fully conscious of the reason.

Her possessed eyes stared forward, distant and alluring.

"Can you hear it?" she whispered.

Her voice sent tremors through him and he tried to dissolve his tension. Pale orange was fading in and out of his eyes, and they moved around to try and discover what she was referring to, yet the forest was silent and they were alone.

"I hear nothing," he answered.

"Whispers," she said weakly, her legs feeling like they would give out from under her if she were to let them, "Whispers, but no voice. Words, without words. What is this?"

His eyes widened. While her comments appeared to make little sense, they resonated with him and he no longer searched the area around them. He had conquered her riddles and understood her cryptic remarks. His attention was solely on her and his eyes revealed his disbelief.

"It is the FireHeart you hear," he gasped. "But why?"

"It's too loud. I…I can't hear anything else," she groaned, her hands clawed over her ears. The overwhelming crash of the whispers made her drop to her knees, unable to control how badly her body was shivering and how terrified she was of the unnatural feelings that were washing over her. "So cold. How can it be so cold?"

With her affinity to ice, she had never known such cold, and that alien feeling was the most terrifying thing of all. It felt as if she would freeze there, unable to move from that place and forever stay there as a prisoner of this terrible presence. It was fear like she had never felt, and she wanted anyone to come and banish this terror from her heart.

Anyone.

As she collapsed in her fit, Yasha had no idea what was going on. Everything she was describing was like the constant drone of the FireHeart's will that he had always known, though he had never felt the cold she described. It had always been an inferno to him, poignantly heated to one who never felt the pain of fire. He suspected it had something to do with her magic, but he had no knowledge of any other magic aside from his own and couldn't imagine why it would cause this reaction, much less why she could hear it in the first place. He was starting to feel as panicked as she was.

Dismissing the alarm he felt and seeing her doubled over in terror, he suddenly rushed forward and slid to his knees before her, gripping her shoulders tightly. Just touching her sent a wave of ice surging up his arms, making him groan painfully. His own magic almost raged out of his control at her touch, but he managed to push back her ice with his fire, making it burst into a steamy cloud around them. Keeping the ice at bay required a great deal of his strength and he was relieved his encounter with Nazir had invigorated him, though he still had no idea what had seized her. Whatever she was feeling and whatever was fueling her attack, it was like a void around her, and threatened to drag him in and crush him, but at the same time tried to push him away.

The only place it didn't want him was right in front of her.

"_Stillness. Breath. Balance. Control_."

Not understanding and barely hearing his voice, Elsa continued to breathe erratically. He anchored her with his fierce gaze and steady voice. "Focus! The will of the FireHeart is a powerful thing, but it cannot control you if you do not let it. Resist, or it will consume you," he yelled.

She could still barely hear him and it was as if her second self was taking control, much as she silently slipped away to slumber earlier under the tree. There were strange echoes amongst the whispers and she could make out two voices, though the other was far more seductive and distant. It was that voice that truly pierced her heart and made the unbearable cold creep over her. The ice crawling under her skin was almost too much to bear.

"Stillness," repeated a voice as it managed to break through the haze strangling her mind, and she reached for it with all of her heart.

"Stillness," she gasped back.

"Breath," he continued and she was able to repeat it as well.

"Balance. Control," he finished, his hands holding her trembling shoulders still.

With great difficulty, she managed to follow his lead and felt the panic in her seeping away as he came back into focus, though the overwhelming whispers didn't fade out completely. The turquoise rings in her eyes faded and she was able to calm down, though she couldn't move and felt as if all of her strength had once more left her. "Control," she wheezed, her hands clawing out to catch his arms and her head leaning helplessly against his chest. Exhausted and panting, their embrace was a stark contrast to the hostility that had been between them, but Elsa couldn't spare any strength to be repulsed. There was no choice but to hold to him in support, and she felt as if she could slip back under that dark blanket in her mind at any moment.

"Continue to breathe. Find solace in the rhythm. You must learn to temper the will of the Heart, for it never goes away, and it pays no heed to weakness or relapse," he cautioned her, allowing her to cling to him as they knelt before one another. "You must get stronger."

She panted weakly, barely able to keep herself from collapsing."Is it always like this?"

"That is difficult to answer. I have known the Heart since birth, so have had a lifetime to manage its call. For you, I can only imagine how difficult it is to have it bear down upon you all at once," he replied, not hiding his respect.

"Your strength is admirable."

She clutched his arms a bit tighter, her head pressed in close. Her breathing calmed, but there were strange tears running down her cheeks, not as liquid water, but as icy droplets that left frozen trails in their wake. Her magic was still playing tricks on her.

"I can't even describe it," she wheezed.

Hearing the will of the FireHeart had been frightening enough, but it was the other voice that felt intimately connected to her own heart and the icy powers that flowed through her. While she desperately wanted to know more about that ghostly presence, it frightened her too much to even try to remember the haunting images that she swore she had seen in the back of her eyes.

She couldn't even mention it to him.

Yasha's expression was tense. He had never expected her to sense the FireHeart in such a way, and for it to affect her so strongly meant there was more to their magic than he suspected. Some kind of connection. It made moving forward dangerous, though he also knew there was no option of turning back. He simply had to help her deal with it as best he could.

"As a child, when I would feel overwhelmed by the Heart's will, I spoke the words to calm me," he explained, taking a deep breath, "_Stillness. Breath. Balance. Control_. Mother always said these words could tame the Heart and bring clarity to madness. It was the only way I could manage its call."

She slowly looked up. "Your mother?" she echoed, finding it strange that he had suddenly opened up. Hearing that he also had a parent that had counseled him made her not hate being so close to him, and her mind was going back to those days when her father would slip the soft gloves over her hands, teaching her to control her power but always looking at her with love in his eyes.

In spite of their desperate plight and cause, it suddenly seemed they shared something after all.

Yasha winced. He had no idea why he mentioned his mother, but when he realized the slip, it made a wave of anger wash over him. Her vulnerable face was close and he could see the unrest in her eyes. Unlike his playful banter with Anna, he found managing his quiet and illicit attraction to Elsa to be far more challenging than could be handled with some idle banter and a few awkward moments. He realized his thoughts for her were of a different shade and temperature.

"The words will help, but it is you who must resist the Heart," he abruptly said, leaning back from her and retreating to his feet, "Resist it, Snow Queen, or our journey will be for naught."

The loss of her support made her lurch forward, but she had regained enough of her strength to sit straight. The quick change in his attitude made her realize that he wasn't going to open up to her so easily, and caused her wonder to if it were even appropriate to hope for. As much as she wanted to know more about him and how he had dealt with the will of the FireHeart, she decided to let him have his past and not intrude. Instead, she clutched her hands over her heart and felt the calming effects of his chanted words, and she planned on using them any time the will of the FireHeart became too much to bear.

At the very least, she could hold onto the glimmer of compassion she had finally found in him.

"Elsa," she remarked softly. "My name is Elsa."

The reminder made him wince, for there was much power in a name. As insignificant as it seemed, she wanted him to stop calling her Snow Queen, though his expression showed he wasn't comfortable with the idea. Yet it didn't diminish the fact that he had been the one to help her fight away the darkness, and a soft smile tugged at her lips.

"And thank you. For helping me," she added.

"I did nothing. It was you who found the strength," he replied coolly to her warming mood.

Disappointed he wouldn't use her name, she continued to gaze up and hope that somehow they would get past the tension between them, even though it had been her that had been so defensive. She didn't understand her own change of heart. "Maybe, but thank you anyway," she said, not giving him a break from her eyes. Had she known just a glance would bother him so, she mused at how quickly she could have ended their previous fight.

Inwardly, she found she enjoyed the little things that upset him.

Suffering the force of her gaze, he visibly relaxed and let out a slow breath, trying to navigate this new atmosphere, then shifted his stance and tempered the fire in his eyes. In that lonely forest with not a soul in sight, they both felt the pulse of the connection that the FireHeart afforded them, even if it was a terrifying thing. There remained so many questions, and neither of them seemed to understand it completely, but it gave them a common cause and allowed them to understand one small piece of one another, and that was far more than they had before, when all they had was conflict and cause.

The FireHeart had become their quest, but also their bond.

Suddenly, he found his defenses weren't so powerful against her. "Can you stand?" he asked, his voice reluctant but his hand extended out once more.

Her fingers twitched in the lap of her dress, but she continued to look up to his gray eyes, finding that she no longer feared them. Unlike before, there wasn't a lucid repulsion at his offer. Before her encounter with the will of the FireHeart, she wouldn't even consider taking his hand, or seeing him for anything more than the criminal he had been, yet now she was starting to believe what Anna had told her of a better man within him.

Setting aside all of the wicked things he had done, she wondered who he really was.

Not speaking, she slowly reached up and slipped her hand into his, wondering if he was magically making the fire burn across her neck, and felt his strong pull as he helped her to her feet. They stood there for a moment, hand in hand. Their minds were no longer thinking of distance and pace, while their hearts were beating faster. With a quiet forest and starry sky around them, they were lost in the ambiance of finding someone who shared something special, be it magic or fate, and precedent had no claim over those few moments when they could just wonder if the other felt the same chill prickling across their skin.

"I've been looking for you guys forever! Are you even following the path to…" called another voice, suddenly intruding on them.

Sid had finally returned from the quiet task assigned to her, though the scene she came upon made the fire sprite stall in the air and flare up madly. Seeing Yasha holding hands with Elsa and the quiet look in their eyes sent her into a raging fit, with her usual colors of red and orange suddenly bleaching blue.

"You better be looking for a finger of hers to break!" she hissed.

The two of them looked to her, unsure of the reason for her outburst and both mirroring a strangely confused expression. Only after a moment did Yasha realize he was still holding Elsa's hand and he quickly retreated from her, using that hand to push his hair back and hide the embarrassment he felt. She also quickly pressed her hands into her waist and looked to the side, acting as if she had just been caught whispering secrets in the ballroom.

Sid heaved in anger. Their reactions made it even more aggravating. "Oh, don't even try to hide it. I go away for a few hours and you two start knitting baby clothes!" she wailed.

The accusation made the two of them squirm even more. "Sid, I believe you are mistaken. I would not afford such thoughts for this unstable woman," Yasha said, trying to reclaim his previous demeanor.

Elsa scoffed at his sudden turnaround, crossing her arms over her chest. "Excuse me? Unstable? And how can you think I would even consider such a thing with you? The very idea makes my skin crawl," she groaned, flustered by the insinuation and waving off the subject, along with the ruddy glow on her cheeks.

He reacted with a wordless scoff, then looked back to Sid, who was still obviously ruffled by their newly-found affection. Ever the pragmatist, he decided to change the subject and spare the both of them the awkward atmosphere by trying to move forward in their path, mostly because he had no clear retort to either of them.

"Did you succeed in your task?" he asked.

The sprite grumbled and crossed her arms, turning her back on him. She didn't answer.

"Sid," he pressed sternly.

The sprite was never able to deny him, or stay mad for too long, though this situation stretched her patience to a razor's edge. Still, his gaze always cut through her tantrums and made her succumb to the overwhelming devotion she had. "Ugh, fine. The captain of the watch said you can do as you please, including entering the Scoria Chamber. They won't interfere," she reported.

He seemed relieved, but Elsa's anxiety instantly rose and her eyes flashed at him. "They know we're coming?" she asked, suspecting him for his secrets.

"Not all of them," he replied, looking to her with a rehearsed expression.

"Truthfully, this will not be my first time home since being in exile, and there are some in Fria that ignore my presencewhen they see me," he continued, watching her suspicions rise. "Some guards will tolerate us, others will not. Our caution remains the same."

Elsa pursed her lips. With their new affinity churning though her chest, she wanted to trust him more, but there was something in his eyes that warned her, and told her he was still not being completely honest. "You're hiding something from me," she said, watching his eyes grow darker. It was all the admission she needed and she let out a deep breath.

Stepping closer, she placed her hand across his arm and watched the way it affected him, making his practiced exterior buckle. Now that she knew how to bother him, she wouldn't give up that advantage. "If your secrets are dangerous, Yasha, it will be that much harder for me to trust you," she said calmly, watching him squirm under her attention, "And I do want to trust you. This doesn't have to be a battle anymore. I've already decided to help you and your people, so if you finally decide that you want to trust me too, I'll listen to anything you have to say."

For the first time since they met, he met her expectations when he winced at her offer, giving up far more than could be said with words. Under all of the masks, he appeared to be the type of person that Anna claimed, something that strangely relieved her.

Without giving him a chance to respond, she walked past him, letting her hand slip from his arm slowly. Her touch left him tense and struggling under the burden she had revealed, the weight of all his deceptions and ulterior motives. He couldn't help but look after her, far differently than before.

In retrospect, he realized that his true crime was handling her like a pawn across the tragic board he played, and that realization hit him particularly hard.

Struck by her, he realized that she was no pawn in his fated game, but a queen.

"The next time she gets that close, I'm going to burn off her eyebrows," Sid seethed as she floated up next to him, watching her follow the path to Fria with a new bearing. Elsa's shoulders were squared and her head was held high. It was the posture of confidence and it annoyed Sid greatly.

Yasha watched her as well, but was silent. Dangerous secrets were the only thing he had in excess, but that made it no easier to hide them from her. Time was running out for him, and there was no margin for error in dealing with Nazir and the FireHeart.

And there was no more underestimating the Snow Queen.

Without a word, he set off after her, struggling to match her pace and disturbed at her honest offer. He didn't know where her new confidence came from, especially after her first encounter with the will of the FireHeart, but it inspired him to follow and keep her in sight, secretly tempted to take up her offer and suffer any punishment she would have for his lies, deceit and manipulations. Whatever punishment that might be seemed tame compared the guilt he was feeling at not being able to treat her with the respect he now felt she deserved, and by continuing to hide what he truly was.


	12. Flying off the Tracks

**XII**

Flying Off the Tracks

With the caves littered with fallen rock and collapsed passageways, the way back to Arendelle wasn't the same as either Anna or Kristoff remembered. Hours of backtracking and squeezing through dark crevasses were overshadowed by a heavy silence, if only because there was a great bitterness in their retreat.

Kristoff had always been confident in his sense of direction, but the unsettling rumbling of the caves and the unsettling rumbling of his heart was making it difficult to focus long enough to lead her out of these dark places.

For her part, Anna was still worried about leaving Elsa alone with Yasha and could still barely accept that she had gone along with his plan, even though she had given her objections and done all she could to obligate him into protecting her sister. This wasn't what she wanted, but had resigned to let them go, out of many considerations, including the ones for Kristoff.

Walking behind him, she stared at his back, noticing how stiff it was. Several times she had opened her mouth to talk, but something made her quietly retreat. Memories of their last few times together were coming back to her and she remembered how they hadn't been on the best of terms, though the thrill at being reunited had temporarily rekindled their heat. Now the chill had returned and the strange way she had bonded with her kidnapper had thrown another wall between them.

With them alone again, silently but for the endless chatter of Olaf, she was finding it hard to even think of what to say.

"Hey Kristoff?" she finally said, leaning to the side to try and see his face.

"What?" he grunted.

His tone proved he was angry and although that oddly made her own anger rise, she pushed it down and looked around nervously, trying to figure out what she could say. "Uhm," she hummed, then looked down and flared her dress out in a shaky grip, "What do you think of the dress Elsa made? It's my first magical dress. I kind of like it, except it's a little icy in some pretty shouldn't-be-icy places." She had gone back to her original desire to show him and was even a little playful, hoping it would spark some conversation.

With expectant eyes, she continued to lean to the side and felt a brush with hope as he looked back over his shoulder at her. "It's great," he remarked dryly, then shifted his attention forward again.

Once more the anger and the gloom her rose in her chest. She could see that he was holding something in front of him, though she couldn't see what it was. He was giving it far more attention than she felt it deserved and she sighed heavily, looking to the side.

"Thanks," she sighed.

They continued on, with no one really able to chisel away at the wall between them. Olaf and Sven weren't oblivious of the atmosphere, though not even the nudging from the reindeer or the antics of the snowman were having an effect.

After chasing a cooler breeze through a partially blocked passageway, Kristoff came across a large chamber with some broken structures and old tools lying around. Lighting a few dead torches, he illuminated the area and marveled at the cavern, where there were still sparkles of minerals all around and the sound of a small stream coming from a crack in the wall, down a wooden trough and into a shallow pool, where it then disappeared under the rocks. It was obvious that people had been here long ago, though gone now, leaving all of their remnants behind.

The fact that someone had been here gave him hope for a way out.

"A little help here," Anna grunted as she tried to crawl through the passageway, making him jump back to help her, dismissing any of the indifference between them.

"I got you," he said.

As she cleared the rocks, her foot caught one and she stumbled forward into him, though her petite weight did nothing against his solid foothold. "Whoa!"

"Are you okay?" he asked, holding her tight.

She smiled up at him and continued to stay close, not really wanting to dismiss this break from their storm. "Yeah, I'm okay," she replied remembering another time she had carelessly leapt to his arms, trusting that he would be there to catch her.

"Nice catch," she whispered.

He smiled as well.

Although the moment could have lasted longer, the sound of running water and the sparkling of the walls in the torchlight made her attention wander and she looked around the chamber, gasping in awe. "Wow. What is this place?" she asked, stepping to the side, but her hand still gripping his sleeve.

"It looks like an abandoned mine. There probably hasn't been anyone here in years," he suggested, looking around as well.

As she slipped her hand from his sleeve to explore, he heard more grunting behind him and found Sven sticking halfway out of the hole, with only the muffled sounds of Olaf coming from the other side. "Hey Kristoff! I think your reindeer's stuck!" The helpless look on Sven's face made Kristoff smirk as he came to help.

"Hang on, boy. I got you too," he said.

"This place is amazing. It's like looking up at a sky full of stars," Anna sang, gazing at the countless sparkles in the black rock above her. While she had initially hated how dark the caves were, she had found that certain places had an unnatural beauty that she had never seen anywhere else, as if only darkness and heat could forge such wonder. As she walked, she tripped over an old shovel, then slowly reached down and picked up the rotting wood and metal.

Turning back to Kristoff and finding he had gotten both Sven and Olaf into the chamber, she clutched the shovel tightly and looked to him with questions abound. "Why do you think they abandoned it?"

He had been wondering that as well and pulled his sweaty hat from his head to scratch at his ruffled hair. "Dunno. It looks like there's still lots of stuff to mine. It's like they just dropped their stuff and left," he said, looking around at the tools.

"Maybe they came across a whole bunch of monsters living deep inside of the caves and had to run away," Olaf suggested.

"Oh please, like there'd be something like that down…" Anna began, though she was secretly looking around for any signs of monsters when her eyes came across something even more thrilling. "Hey! Look at that!"

Dropping the shovel, she ran over to a large cart sitting on rusty tracks that led down a dark passage. The cart was empty, aside from rocky dust in the bottom, but it was well-made and sturdy, standing up to even years of neglect. Her hands on the rim, she bounced around and admired it, but especially the way the tracks sloped just beyond.

"This must be how they carted out the gems and ore," Kristoff remarked, walking up and admiring it as well. On the back of the cart was a platform and a long lever to brake the wheels, and he imagined that it was built to last. "It looks like it's still in pretty good shape."

"Let's ride it," she grinned.

Kristoff smirked. "I don't think that's a good idea. Even if the cart is fine, who knows how the tracks are further in? Or even there are any tracks," he warned.

"Oh, come on," she pouted, "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Riding a creaky old cart down an abandoned mineshaft is not my idea of an adventure," he replied, crossing his arms. She had always been carefree, and often careless, and he had taken it upon himself to be the voice of reason for the both of them.

Sometimes, it felt like his real job.

She scoffed and looked down the tracks, her hand patting the cart as she was trying to weigh the odds. "Maybe it'll take us right out of here. I wonder if Yasha knows where it goes," she mused.

The very mention of the name made Kristoff's expression foul and he was no longer humored by the exchange. His hands clenched tightly. "Maybe you should go back and ask him. He'd probably come running back if he knew you were looking for him," he replied coldly.

She instantly picked up on his changing tone and looked up, surprised to see how much fouler his mood was. "What's what supposed to mean?" she asked defensively.

"You seem to have gotten pretty close with that guy. You do remember he kidnapped you and tried to kill your sister, right?" he grumbled.

"Ugh, that was all just a misunderstanding. A sort of extremely dangerous misunderstanding, but still a misunderstanding," she replied, crossing her arms just as stubbornly, "And you're overreacting."

"Hey, I'm not the one who was ogling the kidnapper," he snorted.

Anna blew her bangs from her face and cawed. "I was _not_ ogling him! I was…you know, keeping an eye on him…while he happened to be taking a bath. That doesn't mean I was ogling," she explained while trying to wave off the embarrassment of the memory. "And if _someone_ had been around when the kidnapper came in the first place, I wouldn't have had the chance to ogle anyone."

"Hey, I was busy getting…something. Sorry that I wasn't around when you just happened to get kidnapped!" he yelled.

"It's not just that time! What was so important that you had leave for weeks at a time? And don't tell me it was to get ice. We have plenty of ice! Elsa can literally make ice!" she shot back.

He suddenly flushed and his hand cupped his belt, his response muted. The square box was still firmly inside his pouch and he suddenly felt the urge to show her what he had been trying so hard to get, even as he knew that this wasn't the time for it, although he imagined how righteous he would feel when seeing her reaction to the ring.

Her ring.

That triumph would feel vulgar in light of something that was supposed to be beautiful and a symbol of their everlasting devotion to one another. "It's a super-special ice that not even your sister can make, okay?" he said.

Anna bristled and vented more. As he was obviously avoiding her questions and was still stuck on her fondness for Yasha, she couldn't cool off. As much as she hated it, she continued to bicker with him, as Olaf and Sven watched breathlessly, even as the heated echoes in the chamber were causing some unusual echoes deeper in the caves.

Sven was the first to hear it and his head rose, his ears searching for the source. It was something beyond the chamber and it rumbled through the stones until Olaf also noticed it as well, narrowing his gaze into the shadows and waving his hand towards the two arguing at the cart.

"Hey guys, can you hear that?" he asked.

Anna and Kristoff were lost in their argument, but Sven was becoming agitated, grunting and backing from the darkness. Olaf shared his alarm. "Hey guys?" he asked again, even louder.

By now, there were dimly glowing shadows growing down a large, dark hole at the other end of the chamber, where it had obviously been broken away by the miners.

"Guys?"

There were sounds of rock scraping against rock and a symphony of howling shrieks now piercing the air, and Anna and Kristoff were torn from their fight to look to the darkness, where it was muddied with red swirls and angry claws, all slowly scraping into sight.

For a moment, they were all frozen.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding," Anna gasped.

Several Xenoliths were crowded at the passageway, barely able to get past one another and seemingly untroubled by the dim torches. Their melodic shrieking made her remember how terrifying her first experience was, while Kristoff knew that without Elsa's magic, he couldn't hope to shatter another. There was no time to question why there were so many, but he realized it was probably the reason why the miners had abandoned the place and why discovering it wasn't a blessing, but a tragedy.

"Called it," Olaf remarked at his earlier prediction.

"Everyone in the cart," Kristoff barked, scooping Anna up and tossing her in, much to her surprise. While he had been adamantly against it, in the face of angry, shrieking monsters, a creaky cart ride down an abandoned mineshaft suddenly didn't seem like such a bad idea. Sven leapt into the dusty cart, while Kristoff then grabbed Olaf by his twigs and tossed him in as well before jumping on the rear platform and leaning into the rusted brake with all of his strength.

As if sensing their flight, the Xenolith's roared louder and lumbered towards them, making Anna's face twist with terror as she popped up and patted him on the back for encouragement.

"No rush, but going would be great!" she hollered.

"Working on it!" he groaned back, feeling the rust fighting him on the lever.

He was pushing as hard as he could and it finally gave in with a loud clank. With the brake released, the cart lurched forward down the tracks just as the Xenoliths swiped at them. Kristoff arched forward just in time, though was almost sure he had lost the rear of his pants. The slope carried them away from the lumbering creatures, though it was obvious they weren't giving up as they shrieked and followed, crashing along the rails even as the cart picked up speed. Kristoff grabbed the rim of the cart tightly and looked forward as they rocketed down the tracks, his heart racing in his chest.

"Lean into the turns! Try to keep it balanced!" he yelled, grabbing the brake to keep their speed under control.

"This is great! I told you it'd be a good idea!" Anna shouted, at the front of the cart with her hands clamped on the rim and her face glowing. Sven was sitting next to her, panting with his tongue hanging out as he enjoyed the wind, while Olaf popped up to look behind the cart, his eyes narrowed at the sights behind them.

"You may want to go faster. Those guys are catching up," he remarked, making Kristoff turn to see the Xenoliths as they gained.

"If we go any faster, we'll fly off the tracks," he yelled, feeling the grind from the brake as he pushed it hard against the wheel.

While he was trying to manage all of his concerns, the cart ran across some rough track and rattled them harshly, making him lose control of the brake as he had to cling to the cart. More than that, the jarring made the pouch on his belt open and the small, square box come flying out, sailing just outside of his reach as he desperately tried to catch it. It landed in the cart with the others, who had been shaken up as well, and while Kristoff grabbed the brake once more, his eyes were fixed solely on the box, feeling as if his entire world had just flown out of his reach.

"Hey! Watch the bumps!" Anna yelled, rubbing the soreness in her rump.

"Get the box!" he yelled back frantically.

Not knowing what he meant at first, she saw the square box rolling around the cart by her feet and her brow furrowed, wondering why he was so fixed on it.

"Why? What's in the box?" she asked.

"A super-special ice that not even your sister can make," he grunted as he fought the lever.

Anna's heart was already racing, but something made it flutter even against the chase. The size of the box and the way he obsessed over it made its significance relevant and she suddenly felt she had to catch the box as passionately as he did, though another rough stretch of track suddenly made the cart rattle and kick, tossing them around and making the box fly into the air again. Kristoff once more let the brake loose and lunged at the lip of the cart trying to grab it, but it bounced from his hand and flew over the side of the cart, destined to be lost in the darkness forever. It was Anna that leapt with a cry and caught it, barely at the tips of her fingers and so stretched out that only Kristoff's strong grip kept her from being the one that disappeared over the side.

Groaning, he managed to reel her back into the cart and regain control over the brake, though by now their speed was so high that he could feel the lever cracking against his attempts to handle it. Anna retreated into the cart, catching her breath and cradling the small box in her arms. The rocking made it difficult to focus and all she could do was make sure she didn't let go of it again.

"Marry me!"

Her eyes flew open, wondering if she had imagined what was just yelled over the raging wind. Incredulous, she looked with flashing eyes and her heart leaping into her throat. "What?"

"I want you to marry me!" he repeated, the lever grinding against the brake.

"You're proposing **now**?!" she howled.

"Yeah, well, crazy cart rides and kidnappers and shiny rock monsters have a way of putting a guy's priorities in order!" he answered, regretting that he couldn't look to see her reaction while he was straining against the brake, though with his unorthodox timing, he thought maybe it was better he couldn't see her face.

In the cart, Anna had suddenly forgotten about the danger. Her eyes were wide and her heart was pounding. She ran her fingers over the small line in the wood, where the lid met the rest of the box. It was strange that she had waited so long to see it and when she finally had it in her arms, she was frozen, unable to answer. A smile spread over her face and she hugged the box without even opening it.

"I will," she said quietly, though she was met only by a loud crack and him grunting.

Realizing he didn't hear, she suddenly jumped up to the back of the cart, looking to him with all of her heart to answer him. "I said…" she began, though noticed his face was panicked and that he was holding the broken lever in his hand.

She frowned.

"Oh, that's not good."

With no way to slow them down and in spite of the important proposal, the cart sped away from the Xenoliths but quickly rushed out of control. The roar of the wind and the cries of the rusted cart smothered any other sound as they reached a turn through a large cavern, and the cart kicked away from the tracks, flipping into the air and silently being swallowed by the darkness below, taking everyone inside with it.

After a harrowing silence, several loud splashes echoed through the cave.

Far below the tracks, a large opening was letting moonlight onto a lake that quietly collected all of the water flowing out of the caves. It was disturbed by many intersecting ripples, and the first to surface was Anna, who came bobbing up wildly and coughing, pawing at the water to stay afloat. To her surprise, her dress had puffed out in the water and she didn't have to struggle at all. "Oh, okay. Thanks to the magical ice dress, I guess?" she remarked, pushing the soggy hat back from her face. Kristoff and Sven both came up as well and flailed against the water and she was greatly relieved to see them.

"Kristoff!" she cried, trying to paddle over to him.

"I'm okay!" he called back, treading water and still trying to cough the lake out of his nose. There was no sign of the Xenoliths and he looked around, finding the shore not too far away. He marveled at their luck. "Wow, good place for a lake to be, huh?"

"Where's Olaf?" Anna asked, twisting around.

"Present," Olaf sang, casually floating by in three pieces.

Kristoff suddenly thrashed around, looking from Anna to the others as a fit of panic overcame him. "Where's the box? Who's got the box?!" he yelled. Anna realized that she had lost it as well and mirrored his panic, though she soon found it floating a short distance away, being clutched by one of Olaf's twig hands.

"I got it!" the snowman's head announced.

After taking stock of their survival, the four of them made it to shore, wet and cold, but alive. Kristoff was making sure to check them all for injury, especially Anna, and was grateful he had a chance to hear her answer, especially as Olaf delivered the box to her. She clutched the treasure tightly and looked up to Kristoff, the cold water making the blush on her face even more apparent. With the moonlight flooding in from the opening, she appeared angelic, even with her magical dress clinging to her body and her wet hair tangled at her shoulders. It had taken him weeks of agony to try and figure out how he would propose to her, but he almost laughed when he realized it had only taken a kidnapping, a magical fight and a near-death cart ride to get the question out.

He knew it was all worth it.

"Anna, will you marry me?" he asked again, taking her freezing hands and kneeling in front of her in the muddy sands of that mountain lake.

With a burst of elation from her lips, she laughed and nodded, her throat barely containing her voice. "Yes!" she cried, then threw her arms around his neck, pressing her frozen cheeks into his and feeling how he drew the warmth into them.

Kristoff let out a bellowing laugh and lifted her into the air, twirling her and throwing water everywhere, before pulling her close and sharing a neglected, warming kiss.

As they relished their engagement, Olaf wiped a slushy tear from his eye and leaned against a dripping wet Sven, happy they had been present at such an important time in his friend's life.

"Even with the wet reindeer smell, this moment is perfect," he sighed.

Once Anna had satisfied her desires for Kristoff, she huddled to him, to feel the warmth of his body, especially against the cool air blowing in from the opening. "I thought you'd never ask," she sighed, opening the box to find a beautiful ring inside. It was exactly what she had dreamed of and she was resisting the urge to slip it on, for she wanted him to do that, and she suddenly snickered at his excuse for being gone so long.

"A super-special ice that not even my sister can make, huh?"

He blushed, feeling the words were corny, but quickly fumbled the ring between his frozen fingers as he removed it from the box, then carefully slipped it on hers. "What good is an Ice Master if he can't find something like that?" he replied. She laughed, then looked to the ring as she shivered, twisting the gem between her numb fingers.

"It's perfect," she replied happily.

He tried to warm her against the chill, then slowly realized that the air coming from outside the caves was colder than the air within and that he could see snow a short distance away. Realizing that they were at the other end of the cave system, he began to recognize some of the distant mountains and felt his hopes grow that they would no longer have to stumble around in the dark underground. While they were wet and cold, his sled would only be a short hike away and they would soon be back in Arendelle, together and engaged.

They could finally start their life together.

Anna suddenly sighed distantly, her eyes locked on the reflective gem. "I can't wait to tell Elsa," she whispered.

His expression dimmed and his lips pressed together. He realized how much they had gone through to get back to their world and that it was only familiar roads that lay before them. It was a simple matter of walking out of the cave and going home, yet everything he knew of her told him what she truly wanted to do, while everything about himself told him what he was willing to do to make her happy.

"You want to go after them, don't you?" he asked, even knowing the answer.

She laughed slightly. "Am I that obvious?"

He smiled, holding her tightly and trying to share as much warmth as he could with her. The idea was foolish and the path was unknown. Her request was selfish against her sister's wishes and the risks were great. They had no idea what they would find, except a dangerous man and a dangerous cause, along with ancient magic and things unseen.

He really had no idea why he could agree to it so easily.

"You're going to owe me another sled," he pointed out.

Leaning back, she looked up with bright eyes, her smile growing. "Really? Do you mean it?!" she asked.

He gave in to her completely. "Come on. Let's go chase your sister again," he replied, nodding towards the opening with a confident smile.

Anna squealed and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly once more. He could do no more than hold her back and sigh, realizing that he was a fool to ever think he could deny her. Marching into a foreign kingdom to chase her sister and a criminal with fire magic wasn't the greatest idea he had ever considered, but the way it lit up her eyes made it something that he would be willing to do.

In retrospect, he realized why he could agree to it so easily after all – because he loved her more than any flimsy reason to cling to common sense and doubt, and that he would do something ten times more foolhardy just to see the smile she wore at that moment.


	13. Tragedy of Birthright

**XIII**

Tragedy of Birthright

The pathway to Fria had been growing smoother, with fewer rocks and more indicators of its inevitable course down from the mountains. There were even the occasional signs, some obvious and some strangled by plant growth, but it was now almost harder not to follow the path, or resist the journey that lay along its way. As Elsa and Yasha walked, the tension between them continued to thaw. There was little conversation, but more was said with brief glances and the expressions they wore as they came to terms with each other's presence. They continued to digest their common link to the will of the FireHeart, remembering how powerful her first encounter had been and how they were only able to overcome it together. The journey became more intimate, as Yasha had never shared the Heart with anyone, while Elsa had never felt such a potent rush of despair and salvation, all linked to the fires of the ancient orb. Just the silence was enough to cultivate the connection that they had discovered, yet Sid was fuming as she watched them, sighing in disgust at how cliché the journey had become.

"Ugh, get a room," she scowled.

As they walked, Elsa had been distracting herself on purpose, to try and keep the drone of the FireHeart out of her thoughts. It was still growling in her mind, like a fierce beast lingering just outside of the firelight. The words he had given her were crucial in keeping the whispers from overwhelming her, and it was strange to imagine that even his presence was helping to drive away the haze, even as his powers had the opposite effect. With Fria coming closer and the FireHeart surging strongly in her heart and mind, she suddenly had the urge to talk with him, even as she didn't know what to say. While she had quietly promised not to pry since they didn't exactly have the right relationship for idle chatter, the words and their origin were the only subject she could bring up, even if she regarded the subject with an almost religious caution.

"Will you see her when we get to Fria?" she suddenly asked, her voice a bit shaky at the personal subject.

Yasha was surprised by her sudden desire to chat. "Will I see whom?" Elsa winced and suddenly felt like this was a bad idea, though she had already started and felt that retreating now might be worse.

Swallowing heavily, she rubbed her lips together, trying to prepare herself for the heated reaction he might come back with. "Your mother," she whispered, slightly hoping he couldn't hear her.

Yasha's steps slowed and his eyes flashed wildly. She winced when she saw them and her lips moved quietly to retract the question. Her instincts seemed correct and she regretted asking, but she was still looking to him with expectant eyes and an open heart. If there was going to be any progress between them, she knew she would have to face his angry eyes.

Blindsided by the inquiry, he seethed angrily and let his eyes wander to spare her their heat. He wondered why he didn't simply dismiss her question with silence, as he had with her sister so often, yet the inquiry bothered him greatly, even if he had no reason why.

"No," he finally grunted, continuing on coldly through the air she had cast upon them. "I will not."

The response was mild for his expression and she let out a strange sigh of relief. "Oh," she replied, not sure whether she was glad that he didn't lash out at her or sad that he offered no other details. It appeared their connection wasn't as strong as she had started to believe and she scolded herself for souring the mood, especially as his posture had prickled.

Continuing forward, time passed as he stared coldly at the path ahead, with Elsa looking off to the side. She questioned whether she really had any right to ask him about such things, as they weren't really companions or anything falling in a common mold. The atmosphere smothered any further conversation and not even Sid tried to engage him. Unlike Elsa, she knew of his past and when to leave him alone. She was secretly satisfied that the Snow Queen didn't know the same.

Walking slowly and uncomfortably, Yasha pace wavered when he suddenly let out a long sigh and pushed his hands back through his hair, letting his exhaustion show through and his frustrations stretch out. Elsa winced, wondering if he would finally lash out, but was chained to him, intrigued by his sudden animation. His eyes showed just how tired he was, though they were surprisingly receptive to her attempts to dig into his soul.

"Mother died when I was young," he explained without warning. His voice had become steady and he slowly looked over, his face showing the most remarkable expression she had ever seen.

"A house fire."

She came to a stop, her chest clenching. By the look in his eyes, she knew what that meant and why this might have been the only thing about his past that he would share with her. The loss of one's parents was something she could relate to, but not nearly as powerfully as the common tragedy they had for trying to control powerful magic with a child's hand.

"I'm so sorry," she said, watching him come to a stop ahead of her.

He almost laughed as he looked up into the black sky, then shook his head. "Your apology is unnecessary. It is not your misfortune to bear, but mine."

"You can't blame yourself for it. I'm sure it wasn't anything you did on purpose. These powers are too much for a child to handle," she offered, slowly looking down to her own hands.

"Any child."

Like a mirror, he looked to his hand with a cold expression, finding their shared legacy miserable. While he had long gotten over this, he was surprised to find himself feeling so emotional at her mention of it, especially when it was her that he was speaking to.

"So it was said to me," he replied distantly. "More times than I can remember."

As the both of them scandalized their hands, silence lingered once more. It was a tragedy that the only things they had found between them were fury, terror and regret, as if those things were the birthright of anyone born with magic, yet it was those things that eroded the mistrust and forged a peculiar link between them, and forced them to realize that this snaking fate they shared also opened the door for understanding, and that perhaps there was no one else in the world that could hope to know them as well as they could know each other.

Elsa felt that movement strongly as she looked up from her hands, feeling the overwhelming urge to repay his openness with some of her own.

"When we were children, I hurt Anna with my magic," she explained sadly, still flinching at the memory. "It was an accident, but it made me fear my power, and I spent most of my childhood locked away in the castle, afraid to harm anyone else or let these powers get out of control. I closed the door between us, between me and everyone else in the world. I was terrified of what I might do again."

"It must have been lonely," he noted.

"It was. And I didn't realize that locking myself away probably hurt her worse and that hiding from my powers only made it harder to control them," she explained, wincing again as she remembered more tragedies of her past.

"When I froze everything, it was because I was afraid, afraid that no one would accept me for who I am, or what I can do. I had nothing but fear and I didn't think anyone could help or understand what I was going through," she continued, finding that talking to him about it was strangely comforting. Her eyes rose and she saw the expression on his face. She felt compelled to continue her quest to help him, not for the FireHeart, but a heart of another kind.

"Anna taught me that sometimes the only way we can help ourselves, is to be helped by others. Sometimes we have trust in them, and in the way that only they can save us."

He took her point reluctantly. It wasn't as if this was the first time he had heard others trying to console him or offer him advice, but in all of those countless tries he had dismissed it as ignorance. No one had known the life he had known and their words had always felt hollow. As the words came from the Snow Queen, he found they resonated with him in a way he had never felt before, and that he couldn't simply dismiss her, for the two of them were the same, in spite of their vast differences.

He had to respect the pedigree in her words.

"I think…" he began, searching her with cooling eyes. A part of him wanted to open up to her and see how deep their connection was, but a lifetime of being guarded against others felt like an impossible obstacle. It made a particularly pensive look overcome his face.

She found his expression striking.

Just as the temptation to speak to her welled up, he noticed Sid hovering nearby, glowering at them. Her presence made him wince. It wasn't the jealousy burning in her small frame that silenced him, but the realization that this wasn't a simple matter of his own heart. There was too much at stake for a selfish wish to share these burdens and too many of his own hopes and dreams tied up in his cause. The idea of relenting even the slightest bit made a wave of indignation come over him and he let out a slow breath, looking back to Elsa. As unfair as it was to drag the innocent along with him, whether it be Elsa, Anna or Sid, it was just one more burden to bear, and he had gotten used to playing the criminal.

"I think your sister may be wiser than she lets on to the world," he finished, hoping she could believe the mask he put on once more.

While nothing would have relieved him more than truly opening up to her, he realized he didn't have the right after all. He didn't even know if he would be seeking her help or her life when they finally stood before the FireHeart.

Elsa was disappointed by his obvious retreat, but felt content that they had more in common than she initially thought. It was tempting to think about how their lives would have been different had they met under other circumstances, such as meeting glances across a ballroom or being introduced by the hands of others. It was also disturbing that she could now see his noble side, even as all she had seen his wicked side, and that she didn't know which to imagine when facing him. Anna had seen fit to dig into him, unafraid of what she would find. She felt ill-prepared to do the same.

"Yes," she replied, thinking of her sister fondly, "I feel the same way about her."

Yasha's forced expression wavered slightly, but he soon turned back to the path, eager to march forward once more. "Come. Fria is not far now," he said, urging her on.

She simply nodded, not knowing how to reach out again, and they continued their journey, once more letting the pleasant silence settle over them, afraid that any more conversation might reveal that the connection they had was either vaporous and thin, or something far more substantial than either of them were prepared to admit.

In both of their hearts, they didn't know which prospect was more frightening.


	14. Impossible Decisions

**XIV**

Impossible Decisions

Elsa stood at the edge of the cliff, staring out over the expansive scenery. In the valley that stretched out before her were countless thick trees, crowding from cliff to cliff, and several dark blue lakes. Distantly, there were rings of mountains with snowcapped peaks, showing that winter was gripping the rest of the world, even when there wasn't a trace of white below. As sentry against the cold, the valley was dominated by a large, conical mountain with its peak not capped in snow, but cratered by a large, respiring hole. Not even the trees seemed to go near it, as there was a ring of barren soil that crept from the volcano's base and far into the valley before reaching the forest, and it was in that area around the mountain that she could see buildings and homes dotting the darkness, with torchlight and windows sparkling against the black soil.

The entire valley was beautifully dark, but it was the volcano that snared her eyes and wouldn't release her attention.

"Before you lay Fria," Yasha announced, perched on a blackened stone ahead of her and his eyes cast affectionately onto the land. It had been too long since he had come back and his eyes were focused on the homes, with the fires showing that the forges were burning hotly. As he had explained to her, very few people lived in the forest and most lived right under the mountain, in the fire and the ash. It was the will of Nazir and why he drove himself to change the bitter sight.

By instinct, he had reached into his shirt and pulled his ring out, running his fingers over the misshapen metal while he glared at the homes, and also the mountain beyond.

His eyes were alive.

"I have come home for the last time," he said quietly, gripping the ring tightly.

"You said it means a lot to you," Elsa suddenly said, startling him. He looked to find that she had shifted her attention and had been watching him favor his ring. Her eyes were kind, though he appeared angry at her intrusion.

"It's a very strange ring," she remarked, "One that can't be worn."

Defensively, he let out a slow breath, the ring gripped tightly in his fist. He looked back over to the mountain, trying to evade her. "It was a gift," he replied, pushing the ring under his shirt and letting his tired hands hang at his sides, "Now it is an oath."

"An oath to come back here and change Fria. To save my people."

She felt her instincts had been right about the ring. From the first time she had laid eyes on it, it had stuck in her mind as important, though she could never understand why. With him obviously more liberal about talking about his past, she also wanted to know more.

"Who gave it to you?" she asked cautiously.

He winced at her question, but didn't look away from the mountain, using it to delay his response. She had been getting braver in her attempts to learn more about him, and while he found that alluring and was tempted to dive further into their growing bond, he also concentrated on what he saw before him, the kingdom he knew he had to save. Unlike before, when he had taken refuge in her kind heart, his lips pressed closed and he avoided her with his eyes, if only to escape the beautiful kindness she once more offered him.

"Someone taken by the mountain," he finally replied, distantly and sad.

"Long ago."

Without bothering to listen to her condolences, he jumped from the blackened stone and landed on the ground below, continuing on the path as it followed the cliffs down to Fria. She watched him with no words to offer, just the horrible feeling in her chest. If anything, the ring certified his claim that he was fighting to save his people, and that should have gone a long way to dissolving the doubts she felt deep inside, but the entire exchange had left her feeling something else entirely, something she didn't quite understand.

A few whispers seemed to creep out from among the others, so loud that she swore she heard them from somewhere nearby. It even caused her to look around, not sure if they had been real or not.

"Beware the child."

Her fingers to her lips, she once more looked around, wondering why it had been she that said it. Many strange things had been happening to her, but nothing was as disturbing as hearing someone else speak with her voice.

While she was eager and afraid to understand what it meant, her eyes suddenly fell on Sid, who was watching her quietly. The will of the FireHeart was wild when she was nearby and Elsa felt she didn't want to face her without Yasha around, so she quickly followed after him, down the path towards Fria, her fingers still pressed against her lips and she repeated the words, over and over.

After the quiet trek through the valley and while resting near the edge of the forest, Yasha had left Elsa by herself as she rested on a fallen log, hidden away in a small clearing. He crouched quietly ahead with Sid, who was still annoyed and not bothering to hide it to him. Her tiny body was raging and her voice had been pitched so high that he had trouble listening to her without wincing.

"The guards should let us march right into the Chamber. Why are we sneaking around like this?" she fumed.

"Nazir has allowed us to return, but I would not involve the people in this. That includes the guards. We are about to turn this world upside down, Sid. We must not take unnecessary risks," he replied.

He was looking at the homes in the distance and the smoke rising from the forges. Just seeing them this close made him long to see his old house, knowing it would be painful to find its blackened bones still reaching out into the dark sky. It was strange to cling to the pain of the past and he brushed away those painful memories dragged out by his conversations with Elsa, still unsure why he was suddenly remembering them.

Sid snorted and looked back into the clearing, where Elsa sat quietly on the log, her hand raised gently into the air to try and cup the floating ash in the moonbeams around her. Her beautiful blue dress and platinum hair were a stark contrast from the black soil and dark forest around her, and she seemed to glow under the columns of moonlight.

"I don't know how you think you're going to sneak her anywhere. She doesn't exactly fit in around here, you know," she remarked dryly.

Yasha looked back to her basking in the clearing and found himself captivated by the scene, and in the way she didn't fit in anywhere. It was the most unexpected things about her that bedeviled him and something about her posture spoke of her gentle nature, and how displaced she was from the malice of their fate.

His expression revealed his mood and his voice became softer.

"No, she does not."

Sid glared at him, not liking that tone at all. Seeing him influenced by her was maddening and it drove a fire inside of her like she had never felt before.

Flaring, she fluttered in front of his face, so close he could feel the heat bleeding off of her. "I hope you've got your head in the right place and you remember what you have to do when you get to the FireHeart," she snarled.

"Do not lecture me, Sid. I have not forgotten Nazir's task," he snorted, then slowly shifted his eyes past her and back to Elsa in the distance. Joining with the FireHeart and assuming its power had lost no sway over him, and no small part of him was intent on accepting Nazir's offer and taking his reward, but as he stared at her and felt the connection they had found on their journey, the idea of assaulting her once more made him feel a sense of self-loathing that nearly rivaled his disdain for Nazir.

It was becoming impossible to accept his inevitable betrayal of her.

Sid seemed to pick up on the doubts in his eyes. "You can't seriously be considering letting her freeze the FireHeart," she hissed. Yasha's eyes moved to her, but he said nothing. Sid flared even more. "I don't believe this! He'll make you king, Yasha! It's everything you've ever wanted!"

"Will he?" he barked in response, showing his anger. "Nazir does not seem the type to give up power."

"The King's Oath has existed as long as the FireHeart itself. _Prove your worth to the Heart, and become its master and king._ It's the oldest tradition in Fria!" she reminded him.

"Then why has Fria known no other king but Nazir?" he snapped back.

The question took her off guard, and she had no immediate answer. It was strange that countless generations had gone by with no one worthy to claim mastery over the FireHeart, but those were details she didn't care for until he had already entered the Heart and proved that he was the only one worthy of it. The fact that he was only questioning it now meant that the Snow Queen's influence had gotten deeper into him than she imagined, and that also drove the panic in her.

"It can be you, Yasha. You can be the first. When you're king, you can do what you've always wanted and move everyone away from the mountain," she cried, "You can save them!"

"I know," he said, clenching his jaw.

"With the power of the FireHeart, not even Nazir could stop you!"

"I know," he repeated, a little louder.

"Then forget about freezing the Heart. Take the power, kill this woman and become the king!"

"Why?!" he suddenly roared, making her reel back as his emotions boiled over, "Why must I sacrifice the innocent to save the innocent, sacrifice someone whose only crime is being born with this same cursed magic just so no more of my people have to choke down ash and fire? Why must that be the burden I bear?"

Sid was panicked and thrashed about, desperate for some way to convince him. She had never before seen him so frenzied, and she had never before resorted to using such tactics against him. "If she freezes the FireHeart, you'll die," she whispered in a strangled voice.

"We both will."

He groaned, wildly thrashing just as she was. "Just one more distasteful joke upon me," he raged, pushing his hair back roughly as he groaned. "Could I spare you that fate, I would. Could I save everything at the cost of this life that stands ready to be taken from me, I would! What mockery that the world sees fit that my life be spared at the expense of others."

"Do nothing and I die. Destroy the Heart and you die. Become king and she dies! Why must the only choice I have be death?"

"Then pick the choice that has life," she argued, her voice wavering as she floated closer, "Save all of the people in Fria, the ones that helped raise you and the ones that love you. This woman isn't part of your world. She's ice and snow, and you're not. It's easy, Yasha."

"Enter the FireHeart."

"Take the power that's yours."

"Be the king everyone needs you to be."

Yasha muffled a groan, pulling tightly at the back of his head as he stared at the black soil of his homeland. Sid had become the focus of the frustrations he hoarded inside, though they were never more pressing than when standing at the edge of the homes of his people. While he had previously found it so easy to defy Nazir's will and plan to let Elsa go through with freezing the FireHeart, he now only thought of them and how he could only truly help them by doing what Sid suggested. The Snow Queen still had no clue of his true intentions, just as he still had no clue of his true intentions.

That might have been the most aggravating part of it all.

Taking a deep breath, he looked to Elsa in the distance. He wondered what decision she would make, had she had been in his place. Would her timid heart give her any more insight into their woven fate, or would it devour her as it was slowly devouring him? Could she bear the burden of trading one life for many? Could she find another way? The only reprieve he had for not speaking to her was that he didn't have to know the answer to those questions.

He didn't want to see her torn apart by them.

"When we enter the Scoria Chamber, it will end," he suddenly swore, abruptly stepping around Sid to head back with one last oath on his breath. "One way or another." Sid could only watch him as he matched back towards fate, an unsettling silence now upon her. With her role so aptly filled, she no longer had anymore overtures to make.

As Yasha approached, Elsa noticed his anger and the blood boiling under his skin, though unlike before she didn't cower before him. She couldn't hear what was said at the distance, but she had never heard him lash out in such a way.

"Is everything all right?" she asked as he came to her, taking great care to examine his face.

Realizing she had been keen on his outburst, he groused slightly and dismissed her concerns. "It is nothing to be concerned about," he huffed, throwing a glance back to the hovering sprite. She had stayed away and a sigh escaped him as he slowly turned back, his eyes tired and his voice hoarse.

"Sid thought it better to force our way into the Chamber, however I do not wish to involve anyone I do not have to," he lied, though he hid it well among a few truths.

"Our only task is the Heart."

Elsa watched his every move, pursing her lips. Seeing him worked up made her heart race, though for different reasons than before. She knew there was something behind the argument and that he was hiding it poorly, but she had learned that there was little chance she could pry it from him when his eyes showed their resolute locks. She knew his stubbornness better than anyone, a sad statement considering their short history.

"I'm right here," she offered, for both the task and his raging heart, "Whenever you need me."

He grimaced. Her kindness made his attempts to map their fate even harder and the weight of his lies were making it difficult to meet her eyes.

Feeling rushed, he knew they had to get to the Heart before she stripped away what little resolve he had left to resist her. "We must make our way through the town, but we must stay out of sight. Do not draw attention to yourself and do not speak carelessly. We must be cautious and get to the mountain as quickly as we can. We cannot be held up so close to our goal," he instructed, looking forward. Oddly, he found that Sid was no longer in sight, though he felt that was probably for the best. It was likely that Nazir already knew their every move, perhaps even his temptation to assault the FireHeart itself, but none of that mattered. He had done nothing to stop them so far, so there was no sense in changing his plan, even if he barely had one.

"Stay close to me."

Still heated, Yasha began to lead Elsa through the buildings and forges, creeping ever closer to the stone stairs that led up the mountain and to the chamber where the FireHeart awaited them. They moved quietly, staying in dark alleys and away from the movements of people. There weren't many out other than guards, which made their task easier, and he moved through the place he obviously knew well, with her following him as quietly as she could.

It had been progressing well until a slight clamor made his pace slow and he paused behind a home, pressing back against the wall and pushing his hand back to stop her. Not expecting it, she was surprised when his arm crossed the top of her chest and his hand grasped her opposite shoulder, pinning her back against the stone wall with a muffled yelp. A blush on her face, she bit her lip and clawed her hands into the wall, staring forward as she felt the heat from his arm as it lay across her naked collar. On the wall, two crests of icy magic were spreading out from her hands, cracking the ancient mortar and stone. While he had told her to remain quiet, her breathing nearly gave them away, and she was greatly relieved when the clamor passed and he slowly slipped his hand down from her, leaving her gasping quietly and clenching her hands across her chest.

He was oblivious to the whole thing as he dashed to another building.

Elsa couldn't move. She didn't understand why he suddenly affected her in such a way, but she couldn't focus long enough to see that he had left her behind. With so little experience in the touch of men and even less in the sensations that accompanied them, it was a miracle she hadn't turned the entire building into a slab of ice and her muffled panting still filled the quiet night.

She was still trying to recover when she noticed that he had moved on, sending a new wave of anxiety through her already shaken body. Panicking, she pressed against the wall and craned her neck to try and find him, though it was impossible in this alien place. The homes all the looked the same and there were flashes of shadows as guards patrolled the streets. She even considered calling out, but knew that it might arouse the ears of others.

At the moment, she felt completely lost and alone.

"What is this?" suddenly called a voice and Elsa jumped, her breath lodged in her throat.

The voice belonged to an old woman and she was gazing at her from the other corner of the home, darkened in the shadows of the building. She was hunched over with age, with white hair and leathery skin. A long scar ran down her face and many of her teeth were missing. By all accounts, she had a frightening appearance and Elsa's chest kept rising higher and higher, not knowing what to do now that she had been discovered.

The old woman simply stared on. "My poor home cracks and freezes, and I find such a strange young woman standing here. Who are you?" she asked in a gravelly voice.

Elsa took a step back, but realized she couldn't go any further without stepping out into the open. Once more, she felt like her magic was causing unnecessary trouble. "I'm sorry. I was just resting here. I didn't mean any harm," she said, holding her hand out defensively. The old woman stared silently, running blackened, knobby fingers across her chin. This was no situation to be dismissed with casual excuses and Elsa had no idea how to get out of it. She only wished that Yasha would come back for her.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and took her arm, which made her squeal wildly, though the touch was followed by a scolding, but hushed voice.

"Quietly now! I told you to stay close."

She turned and found Yasha, and not even his angry eyes could defuse the relief she felt. Trying to catch her breath again, she placed her hand on his arm and leaned against the wall, relieved she was no longer alone. "Thank goodness it's you. I looked away and you were gone," she wheezed, trying to get her heart rate down.

He ruffled in frustration, then was startled when he heard the voice of the old woman pierce the darkness.

"Is that my Yasha?"

His hand to his dagger, he had been put on edge and leaned out from behind Elsa, then was surprised when he met eyes with the old woman. His hand fell away from his dagger instantly.

"Oma?" he said, visibly relaxing.

With a smile breaking her leathery features, the old woman cupped her hands to her face and stumbled towards them, obviously delighted. Her joy cracked her fearsome appearance. "Oh, my boy," she cried, taking his hands, "It really is you."

He smiled as well, but then grunted as she yanked him down to her height and threw her hands around his face, squeezing it tightly and kissing him on the forehead. "I thought I might not see you again, my precious boy. I am so happy you are well," she sang, kissing him more and resisting his attempts to break free of her grip. Soon, she began to paw all over his body with firm hands and look him over with a maternal gaze. "You are not hurt anywhere? Your body is still strong? Oh, you are nothing but bones. You have not been eating enough again."

Yasha squirmed. "Please, Oma, I am no longer a child for you to grope senselessly," he protested, though he couldn't get away from her or deflect her wandering hands.

The old woman continued fawning over him, making Elsa snicker slightly behind her hand as he tried to fend her off. It was heartwarming to see him so flustered, touched by a glimmer of humanity, and she was happy that he had people who obviously cared for him.

"And this young woman?" the old woman asked, turning her attention to Elsa, "Who is this young woman you bring home, my Yasha?"

"Oh, I'm..." she began, but he was quick to cut her off.

"A friend, Oma. She is a friend," he said, giving her a sideways glance. She was confused by that but just furrowed her brow quietly. She didn't feel that 'friend' wasn't the most appropriate word for their relationship.

The old woman smirked. "A friend, you say? Never have I seen such eyes on you when speaking to a friend. But no matter. It makes this old heart sing to know you are no longer alone. And such a beautiful young woman," she remarked, reaching up and cradling the end of Elsa's chin softly.

At first the young queen didn't follow, but the implication suddenly hit her and made her take a step back, looking at them both nervously while waving those assumptions way. "Oh no, it's not like that. You're misunderstanding why we're together. Not that we're together together. We're just...you know...together. Travelling together. For the time being, at least," she stuttered awkwardly, until he interrupted once more.

"By the mountain, Oma, it is not what you think," he sighed, mirroring her embarrassment. The old woman gave him a dry look and he exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Elsa. In spite of an utterly incoherent response from her, he felt the exact same way.

Eager to dispel the atmosphere and move on, he quickly looked back to the old woman and put his hand to his belt. "But it is fated that I should see you. I have something for Marat," he said.

From the satchel at his belt, he pulled out a small sack and handed it to her like it was full of gold, and she received it the same. "Oh, you are an angel, my Yasha! May the mountain bless you," she said, squeezing his arm tightly, "I will go give it to him immediately. His mother will be so relieved. And you must take your beautiful lady inside and wait. I will soon feed you both as you explain to me how mere friends could hold one another so closely in their eyes."

Once more, Elsa blushed and looked away in embarrassment, but he just sighed and plastered his hand over his face. "I cannot even begin to explain this, but we do not have the time to stay," he groaned. "Yet I promise to see you after I am done in the Scoria Chamber."

"All right then. You need not humor this old crow when you must hurry your lady along. I am sure there are better things for you two doves to be doing," she replied, feigning disappointment at his dismissal but very much enjoying the discomfort they had at her teasing.

Kissing the small bag and squeezing his arm once more, she then disappeared into the village and left them to their discomfort.

"What was in that sack?" Elsa asked, rubbing her neck with a hot hand.

Yasha sighed at the old woman's antics. "Medicine from your Arendelle," he explained, also trying to shake off the awkwardness she had cast on them. "It is more effective than our herbs."

"Medicine?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes. The children here often get sick from the ash. Her grandchild has been ill for some time. I hope it relieves him," he said solemnly, looking towards a distant home.

Elsa was shocked. Even as he plotted to kidnap Anna, he had gone out of his way to buy medicine for a sick child, in deference to his villainous task. The more she came to know him, the more she had no idea what to think of him, for his duality disturbed her, and she felt that her blushing wasn't going away as quickly as she wanted it to. The old woman's leering about them being together for intimate reasons made her squirm, but the revelation of his selfless actions made the idea not as offensive, at least not to her beating heart. Oddly, in light of the constant chaos in her heart and mind when dealing with him, she began to consider the old woman's words as explaining some of the strange feelings she suffered.

That realization alone struck her breathless whenever her eyes wandered his way.

"There is one more thing," he said, bringing her back to a cold reality. "You must not reveal your identity to anyone, no matter who they might be. The people know Nazir's task is for me to kill the Snow Queen. I cannot say what they may do if they should find you out, but it would most certainly complicate our task." It was a chilling fear, as he didn't know what he would have to do if he was forced to choose between the well-meaning efforts of his people and her safety, which he had pledged to Anna with just as much sincerity. There were already too many impossible decisions to consider, and he wanted no others.

For her part, she felt even more nervous, not only because of the old woman's comments, but because she also knew how perilous that situation would be. Oddly, she felt as if she was beginning to understand him, past all of the masks and hidden intentions. There was his core self, somewhere deep inside, and it was that part of him that she had these feelings for, as chaotic as they were. She actually found it easier to admit that they existed at all, because they were for a person she might never meet, though the scariest prospect of all was that by freezing the FireHeart and saving him, she might be forced to come to terms with him, all in the end.

Suddenly, she was afraid of what was going to happen in the aftermath of freezing the FireHeart.

Oblivious to her turmoil, Yasha suddenly sighed as he leaned against the home, looking up the side and wondering how he didn't realize where he was. It was the last home he had known before his exile and he had essentially grown up there, yet he had been so focused that he didn't recognize it at all. That realization made him feel heavy as he placed his head against the wall, seeing how her magic had discolored the old stone. He hadn't planned on seeing anyone before they reached the Heart and had nearly forgotten about the medicine. It was only because of Elsa that he was able to hand off his parcel for the child, which made him look over to her, quietly appreciative of the delay. Seeing her still flustered, he admitted that the old woman's words had a similar effect on him, though he was able to dismiss them easier.

There was no more time to think of what might be. There was no more time to think of her, even as she stood right before him.

There was just no more time.

That truth was never more oppressive as it was as they stood behind the last home he had known before exile.

"Well then, shall we try again? Together this time?" he asked, watching as she embraced the chance to get away from her thoughts and stand straight, nodding resolutely at his efforts to move them forward once more. Her resiliency impressed him and he was slowly losing his ability to see the path without her, though he was singularly glad there was no more time and no more chances for impossible decisions.

With the task in twilight, it was one less burden for him to bear.


	15. Kindness Implored

**XV**

Kindness Implored

In the shadow of the mountain, just below the stone stairs that led up to the entrance, Elsa knelt rigidly in the black soil, her back erect and her hands clenched. The contrast of her white skin and blue dress was never more apparent as the dark mountain loomed above. Her eyes were burning with bright rings of turquoise and her labored breathing came through red, quivering lips, while her entire body convulsed in the latest onslaught of the FireHeart's will.

Yasha was kneeling before her, his hands clutched tightly in hers and his eyes glowing bright orange. The proximity of the volcano had caused another wave of whispers to crash over her, and she had barely enough time to duck out of sight before the terrifying feelings welled up once more. It had almost become natural for her to seek him out, but even though he was right in front of her, calming her with his gaze and steady words, it was like he wasn't really there at all, and there was only the roar of the Heart in her mind.

He showed his anxiety calmly. The convulsions were things he didn't understand and just trying to calm her magic was draining him, making the familiar pains grow within his chest and signaling that his loan from Nazir was beginning to run out. More than that, he was concerned about the look in her eyes when she was under this spell. It wasn't the FireHeart he saw in them, but something else entirely, distant and unseen.

"It's passing," she finally gasped, her body relaxing slightly.

Her head falling forward, she continued to hold him, but a shaky hand went up to her face as she tried to recover. Yasha watched her quietly as the color faded from his eyes. "You did well."

She was exhausted and shook her head, rubbing her face tiredly. "I don't know how you stand that all the time. It's like falling into the ocean during a storm and not being able to swim," she panted.

"You learn to swim, and become stronger than the waves," he replied after careful thought. She had little reaction to his simple review and his eyes became worried at the toll it was taking on her. "What of the other place?"

At the mention, she shivered once more and looked up, showing her fear. Just thinking back on it made her feel like she was fall right back into the terrible trance of the Heart. "I could still hear it, but just barely. The Heart's whispers were much louder this time, and they drowned out that other voice," she explained, looking for some kind of insight from him, though he had none to offer. She had vaguely told him of the distant presence she felt and it had sent a warning through him, mostly because he had no idea what it meant.

His instincts simply told him to beware.

"I do not know of this other you sense, but perhaps when the Heart is no more, you will be freed from its call as well," he suggested.

Taking a long breath, she slowly drew her fingers from his and rested her shaky hands in her lap. "I hope so."

Resting his hands on his legs, he sat back, dropping his head down and taking a moment to recover as well. Giving her support wasn't particularly difficult, but pushing back against her magic had been draining his boost of strength. With a wave of guilt washing over him, he realized he still thought of her as an enemy, and he silently wondered if their journey had really brought any change between them. Even now, after all of the words and the desperate embraces, he was expected to destroy her at the whim of a tyrant, which was only terrifying because of how he couldn't dismiss it from his heart.

That part of him was the villain she thought him to be and he hated it as passionately as she did.

"It's going to be even worse when we get there, isn't it?" she asked as they fell into silence, wrapping her arms around her and staring off to the side.

Looking up, he once against marveled at how striking she was when she appeared vulnerable and afraid, as if she wasn't ashamed to wear those emotions on her sleeve. He envied her for that, and felt a heat in his chest that had become too hard to ignore when they were so close.

"Yes, it will," he cautioned.

With a light smile, she closed her eyes, musing at how he didn't spare her from anything. So many others were always conscious of how to protect her from the world, to never offend her and spare her from the cold realities around her. The princes and kings that came and went were always so eager to press her to the side, gallantly brandishing their swords in her defense, expecting her to look on in admiration as they conquered the world for her. Yasha constantly challenged her, hiding nothing for the sake of social conscience, and expected her to endure.

She didn't hate that about him.

"Even thinking about it…" she sighed as she shivered.

"It's frightening."

"I shall be at your side," he replied, pushing himself to his feet and then holding his hand out to her. "You will not face it alone."

Looking to him, she didn't know why those words gave her such comfort. She was becoming aware of the warmth inside when she saw him holding his hand out, and she didn't dismiss it as quickly as before. In some place in the back of her mind, she envisioned him as the prince of his kingdom, fighting for the sake of his people, with his noble character burning through the wicked villain she had once thought him to be. She secretly adored that idea, this exile and criminal having a royal bloodline. It was just one more way she could accept the way she felt inside.

Slipping her hand back into his, she rose to her feet. After a moment of silence, he drew them back to reality as he looked up at the ornate entrance to the mountain, where several of Fria's soldiers were standing guard with spears and masks. Her eyes followed, and she had noticed that the masks were the same as the one he had worn to kidnap Anna, giving them a monstrous appearance. This would be the first time they couldn't avoid them and he was sighing while adjusting the dagger at his belt.

"There will be no sneaking around them. You must wait here while I go find out if they are friendly to our cause," he said, then looked to her gravely, "Or if they are not."

She felt chilled by his expression, and was glad it was no longer directed at her. "Okay."

Taking one last quiet moment with her, he nodded and then slipped from their refuge, leaving her to watch for him in the darkness. Even with the limited route to the entrance, she could barely find any trace of him as he moved and that made a shiver run up her back. Oddly, she was imagining him moving through the castle in Arendelle, unnoticed like a shadow, searching with his invincible resolve, just as he would have when taking Anna. It still amazed her that he had pierced so deeply into her world, with none of her defenses able to stop him as he stole away her most precious treasure.

Her breath hanging, she suspected that he could even get into the royal chambers, if he but wished it.

While she was captivated in her thoughts, several other shadows appeared in the darkness behind her and crept up slowly, just as quietly and calm. They were focused on her and she was completely unaware of them until a knobby hand reached out of the dark to grab her.

As it touched her shoulder, she squeaked and whirled with her eyes wide open and her hand clasped over her lips, trying to remain quiet. Standing before her was the old woman that had received Yasha's medicine along with several other people, ranging from the very old to the very young. One younger woman was holding a sleeping child in her arms and Elsa wondered if it was the one that received the medicine, but her eyes ultimately went back to the old woman that seemed so close to Yasha. Her heart was racing and she didn't know how to react.

"It's you," she whispered, hoping they wouldn't arouse the guards. She eyed the old woman cautiously, not forgetting his earlier warning about their knowledge of his task, and her hands were ready to defend herself, even if she didn't want to harm any of them.

"You are she," the old woman said. "You are the Snow Queen."

Her eyes widening, Elsa felt her heart race even more. Her skin prickled and she took a step back, holding her hand out at the woman, feeling more terror at the idea having to use her magic. "Please wait a moment..." she gasped, and the woman suddenly lunged forward, bringing about Elsa's fears of conflict.

A victim of her timid nature, she spared them her magic and only flinched, then found the gnarled woman had only grasped her outstretched hand, pressing something hard into it. She relaxed slightly and looked to the object, which was the most beautiful brooch she had ever seen. It was intricately designed and made of gold and silver, with a large black gem set in the middle. The dark gem glowed with the same strange red markings of Yasha's dagger and she looked to them with a confused expression, feeling her heart rate come back down.

"What is this?" she asked.

"I do not know what my Yasha plans to do at the mountain, but I pray that you stand by him, beautiful Snow Queen," the old woman replied, clasping her knotted hands together as if praying to the beautiful goddess before her.

Elsa was more confused than ever and looked from her to the brooch, and back again. "I don't understand."

"He must have his reasons for disobeying the king, for you are here with him. The boy does all that he can for us, hides so much from us, yet we can do so little for him. His life slips away, but all we would wish of him was that he spends his final days happy, with those that love him," she explained, looking beyond her to Yasha, who was visible speaking to the guards in the entrance. Elsa's eyes followed hers and she pursed her lips, able to sense the devotion these people had for him.

The old woman's gaze had drifted back to her and she squeezed her hand again, imploring her graces with every measure of strength she had.

"We have not the strength to help him, Snow Queen, but you do."

Elsa truly didn't understand as she looked from the old woman's pleading eyes to the brilliant blackness of the gem, mesmerized by the red markings in it. She tried to focus on them, but not even the exotic nature of the gem could distract her from the gravity in the old woman's voice. It completely baffled the young queen. Yasha was young and strong, and when she froze the FireHeart, he would have his entire life ahead of him. They regarded him as if he were already in his grave and she felt strangely offended by that, but the passion at which they pleaded with her reminded her of that part of him that was worth chasing, the shard that was his true self, and the feelings she had deep inside.

Yet something in the woman's words made a sense of dread fill her heart and a dark premonition overcame her. She suddenly felt that with all of the warnings that had faded in and out, this path she walked with him might lead her to place where he was no longer there at all.

"It is done. The guards will not impede us as we enter the Chamber and…" Yasha said as he approached, though he noticed her entranced state as she stared into her hand, even as he was unable to see what captured her attention. "Are you all right?"

Elsa snapped up from the bizarre trance and was startled, wondering when he had returned and how she didn't see him come back. Quickly looking around with a reddened face, she found the old woman and the others gone, as if they had only been pleading apparitions in the night. It prompted her to keep the gem in her hand hidden away as she dismissed his concerns, and those about why she could barely think straight around him anymore.

"I'm fine. I was lost in thought, that's all," she replied, shaking off her premonition.

The air around them was chilled and he noticed his breath coming out in puffs of steam, signaling that her powers betrayed her excuse. He took a quick glance around to see if anyone was nearby, then reached out to try and calm her nerves.

"Are you certain? Is it the Heart again?" he pressed.

"Yes!" she cried when his fingers brushed her arm, startling them both. Stepping back with the brooch tucked away, she was trying to wave away his concerns and keep looking him in the eyes, though that became harder with each passing moment. "I mean, no. I mean, I'm fine. It's just nerves. We can go anytime. Really."

He hesitated, guessing she might still be struggling with the Heart, but decided not to press her. Once more, time wasn't on their side. "Very well. On to the Heart then," he said and turned, heading towards the path that led up towards the entrance.

With his attention elsewhere, her shoulders relaxed and she exhaled sharply, rolling her eyes at her behavior. She pressed her cold hand against her hot cheek and sighed. It was difficult understanding why she had trouble focusing when there was so much at stake, but she found she was having trouble separating the raging hysteria of the FireHeart in her chest, from the one that was caused by him.

"Get it together, Elsa," she warned herself, and then followed him up the path.


	16. The Snow Queen and the FireHeart

**XVI**

The Snow Queen and the FireHeart

Passing between the guards with a strange sense of quiet, Elsa and Yasha entered the hallways of the sacred mountain without the slightest conversation, marching straight into the heart of Fria with unnatural ease. The whispers were growing, and they barely paid notice to all of the beautiful paintings and finely crafted trinkets of gold and silver. Luxury linens lined the halls and marble statues observed their invasion. The buried palace was a statement of wealth and extravagance unlike anything Elsa had witnessed, yet all of her attention was forward, to the whispers that were coming from just ahead.

Walking up a set of finely carved marble stairs, they entered the Scoria Chamber, a cavernous hall that made the hallways look like a beggar's castle. Gilded towering columns rose into the rock ceiling and dozens of beautiful golden chandeliers hung down with countless eternal candles burning brightly, shimmering through crystals and gems. Massive tapestries lined the whittled walls. There was no furniture or any of the previous accommodations, just a single golden throne, offset to the side but not facing out where any of Fria's people would meet their monarch, but rather facing inwards, towards the single thing that dwarfed all of the glittering gold.

At the back of the chamber, with curtains of molten rock and fire cascading behind it, was the beautifully burning existence of power known as the FireHeart.

Both Yasha and Elsa stopped when they saw it. It was an orb of flame, churning in the air as if defying gravity itself. Flares of heat curled from its surface and colors of yellow, orange and red churned throughout. While it was simple in form, it was astonishing in beauty, and she felt she had never seen anything like it. The hall was empty but for the Heart, yet it sounded as if a thousand people were all around, some screaming and some whispering, though she couldn't decide which was more overwhelming. Just the pressure was enough to make her want to turn back, but she remembered his words and his expectations of her learning to swim.

Without a thought, her hand sought out his hand, and she found it with unnatural ease at her side.

He didn't even resist as he wrapped his fingers around hers.

Silently, they both stepped forward, hand-in-hand, to cross the barren marble floor that dominated the Chamber. There was a final set of stairs that led up to the Heart and they paused, neither of them able to go on any further.

Elsa had never experienced such seduction. The FireHeart was an erotic thing, its power pulsing through her and clouding her mind with fear, anticipation and control. Her own magic felt plain in comparison and completely inadequate to fulfill the task for which they came. What felt like hours went by in mere moments as she stared, trying to comprehend what it was and how it could have this effect on her, and she wondered if Yasha felt the same way, prompting her to pull her eyes away to look at him, though she was stunned by his expression. It was like a madman in love. His eyes were reflecting the flames more brightly than when his own power had surged from within. She wasn't sure she had ever seen such lust on the face of a man, and it made her emotions stir even more than before.

"I had forgotten how beautiful it is," he gasped, finally breaking the silence as he stepped forward, his hand slipping from hers and his feet taking him up a few steps. The adoration in his voice made her chest clench, though she could barely do more than watch him in tortured secrecy.

"You must hear it. The music. The beautiful music," he continued, wanting to close his eyes to listen to this strange melody in the air, but unable to look away from the one thing he carnally longed for in all of his years of exile. It had never had such an effect on him, even in the times he had seen it as a child. It was now pure pleasure running over every inch of him and he could think of nothing else.

"Can you hear its music?"

There was no music to her. While she felt seduced by it, there was an ineffable roar in the Chamber, both marvelous and terrifying. The differences in how they perceived it rattled her, and it was this distortion of him that began to peel away the allure of the Heart. Her previous description now seemed shallow, as it wasn't like trying to swim in a stormy sea. It was like trying to breathe while being dragged to the bottom of the ocean.

"We have to destroy it it," she blurted, though it came out almost as a question, almost as if she had no idea what she was saying.

Yasha flinched. "Destroy it?" he stuttered as he looked back to her, a mixture of anger and repulsion washing over his face. She was shocked by the way he had completely drifted away, yet at the same time she completely understood how he felt, strangely as the will of the FireHeart continued to persuade her. It was only the flashes of the other presence that reminded her of reality, and the power of that voice was like a cold wind cutting through an inferno, making her cling to their true task.

_Resist the Heart._

"It's to save your people," she gasped, anchored by the voice, "Don't you remember?"

He winced again, as if trying. His eyes became confused and his breathing chaotic. Struggling to grasp at a memory long forgotten, his hand instinctively moved up to his chest, where he found the ring cutting against his skin. He pressed it in further, his jaw tightening. Only as glimpses in the endless gray did he remember his oath and his eyes were drawn back to the FireHeart, trying to again grasp the significance it had for the fate he so often reviled.

In spite of his infallible resolve, he was still completely taken by it, enslaved by the spell it had cast on his mind.

"As if I could do such a thing," he whispered.

Never had Elsa felt such painful jealousy. It was bizarre, especially as the object of his intent was this mystical thing, neither flesh nor bone, and she had only barely acknowledged her fledgling affections for him. But they were there, and they made her chest burn hotter than any flame he had thrown at her, while the voice continued to whisper in her ear.

_Freeze the Heart._

Elsa tried to speak again, but failed. There were a thousand things she wanted to say, about the Heart and about her heart, but there was too much noise now, too much clutter. With everything they had been through, it was bitter to fall apart with the FireHeart right at their fingertips, yet with his disjointed reaction and the roar in her mind, she wasn't sure how to move forward, or even how to feel at all. The only thing that came through clearly was that she did feel something, elusive and mysterious. It had been anger at first, then fear, only to be supplanted uncertainty and doubt. These were all emotions she knew well, but the secrets of her current heart were a mystery, for whatever had snuck up on her in their journey to Fria was unlike anything she could imagine, not deceptively simple like love or hate, but something that stalled her as she stood, quieted by feelings she didn't understand, but knew she had to act upon.

In the end, it was her feelings that spurred her to move and she shifted her eyes back to the FireHeart, though now they lacked the admiration they once had. With such a strange feeling in her chest, she showed a much different intent and suddenly, more than anything, she wanted to shatter it this thing that seduced him.

To that end she reached deep inside and conjured up a great orb of frozen magic before her, swirling it around between her hands until it crackled and creaked in the air. Without hesitation, she hurled the icy orb at the FireHeart, feeling more spiteful than expected.

When her magic hit, a scream shrieked through her mind and she threw her hands over her ears, barely focusing long enough to see her bluish magic mix in with the raging flames and slow them, making the Heart churn unnaturally. A tremor like the one that had rattled the caves after Yasha's defeat shook the hall and she could barely stay standing, though something else soon violently lashed out at her. A wave of heat bit at her hands and she yelped, stumbling back to protect herself. A line of flame was on the ground where she had been standing and her eyes slowly moved over to the source of them, finding Yasha standing at its end. His hand was raised at her, flames devouring it, and his eyes were brightly lit in orange. In his other hand, his dagger was at his side, as if their circular return to the beginning was now complete. His posture showed he was ready to defend the FireHeart ferociously, even though his eyes seemed distant and empty.

She could barely admit how much more frightening he appeared compared to before.

"What are you doing?!" she cried, cradling her hands.

"The music…became screaming," he gasped, his face twisting in pain. His eyes were moving around quickly, but focusing on nothing, and his body was tense and poised to react once more. "It was screaming like before. When the walls burned and the room became black. There was so much smoke. My eyes were burning. I could not hear anything but the screams. Those familiar...endless screams."

Elsa winced, watching as his emotions boiled to the surface and his eyes became more and more dangerous. They were searching, but not for anything in the room around them. They were searching the past for its connection to the tension in the air, and the way his powers raged out of his control. The emotions tore away his practiced masks and could see a terrified child bearing an uncontrollable power, one that she had seen so many times in her own past. The madness that held him now wasn't from the FireHeart.

It was when his mother had died in a firestorm of his making.

"Yasha, please look at me," she called, desperately wanting to comfort him and break him away from the Heart. She feared his posture, but wanted to calm the rage in his eyes and share in this one element of their lives that overlapped, a common tragedy of their unnatural powers. There was no one that could understand it as she could. It was the simplest relief she wanted to give him.

"What is this pitiless fate?" he groaned as he slowly looked to his burning hand. The flames covered his skin, but it didn't hurt. It didn't turn it black. Fire could destroy everything in the world except him, and that was the ultimate cruelty of his magic. He suddenly hated it as his mind was dragged back to that terrible day when his childhood home had been devoured, when he had wandered everywhere, untouched by the heat, but hacking in the black smoke. The flames, so constant and harmless throughout his life, had devoured his room, his toys and all of the petty things he had so often taken for granted, before taking the one thing he loved and turned it to ash somewhere in the distant smog. Even as the other villagers had dug through the smoldering ashes the next day, they had found him unharmed, passed out amongst the charred remains of the home, buried in ash that had caked on his face from tears that had been unable to quench the inferno.

In all of that ash, anything that remained of his mother was mixed in with the insignificant rest, as if fate saw her existence no differently than paper, wood and stone.

Elsa was speechless as she watched tears running down his face, his eyes now glaring hatefully at the FireHeart. She had watched him progress from his stoic self to one of utter lust, then become strangled by tears. This was the power of the Heart and she marveled at how it dominated him. While she wanted to go to him and ease his suffering, she feared him. She feared the unstable platform they stood upon and how she could never predict him, this dangerous and noble man. He was as much a mystery to her as voices that sang in her mind, making her unsure how to bring him back, or even if she had the right.

The only thing she knew was she couldn't stop looking at him, wanting him to do the same for her.

Suddenly, Yasha reached out his fiery hand and closed it around on the blade of his Xenocryst, locking it tightly as blood and flame mixed. The tearing of skin seemed to bring him back to the realities of the world, where fire seared flesh and brought pain with it. It made him grimace, but focused his mind, while the FireHeart reflected brightly in his eyes.

With both of his hands holding to his covenant with Anna, he felt sturdy enough to finally see her sister bring about the end he longed for, and shatter the brilliant atrocity before him.

"Freeze the Heart."

Elsa realized that he was talking to her, even as he didn't remove his eyes from the orb. Seeing him put through such pain renewed her desire to comfort him, to help him as he had done for her, but something about him was warning her to not take his restrained hands for granted, and it sent waves of fear through her body. She felt that if she were to approach him, he would lash out at her again and she didn't want to feel his wrath. There was only one thing she could do to free him of this fate and that was to do as he demanded.

Gathering her magic, she resolved to use everything she had to freeze the FireHeart. Her first assault had done little more than slow it, so she knew that this time she had to stop it completely. Every ounce of her desire to help him would be needed to succeed, and the beating of her heart was like a metronome for her charge. Swirling a larger, even more powerful orb of ice before her, she gave him once last glance before pushing it towards the FireHeart, this time keeping a wave of magic behind it to reinforce the assault. Her orb was nearly as large as the FireHeart itself and when it hit, the mixture of ice and fire made her recoil, as she heard the screams once more.

In a brilliant mix of blue and orange, the FireHeart thrashed about, making the ground quake around them. It was only her constant push of her magic that kept the flames from breaking through the ice. Keeping a wave of magic over it was taking everything she had, but something more horrible than the howling Heart pierced her ears and frightened her, most especially as she realized where the terrible sound was coming from.

Yasha was screaming.

The glow in his chest had grown so bright that it pierced his clothing, mirroring the thrashing Heart, and his body was racked with such pain that he couldn't even stand. He had collapsed to his knees and was doubled over, doing everything he could to keep his hands clamped on the dagger. There had been no way to prepare for such agony, yet no matter the agony, he was resolved to keep himself under control, even when his fear was nearly as paralyzing as the pain and the desire to stop her was almost more than he could bear.

Seeing him suffering, her magic began to wane, but he was immediately aware of it. "Do not stop!" he wailed, even as it felt like his heart was being torn to shreds.

"What's going on?!" she cried.

"Freeze the Heart! Do it now!" he screamed, grinding his face into the ground as he could feel the sweat and tears slicking under him.

Hearing him suffer made her waver, but the power of his voice had never lost its influence over her. Hoping to push through it, she focused every last bit of her strength into her magic and forced it to consume the raging orb, making the ice crawl over the churning flames until it finally ground to a halt.

Elsa had succeeded in freezing the FireHeart solid.

The ground stopped shaking and she fell forward, barely able to stand. Breathing heavily, she clasped her face with her hand, shaken by the sudden silence. It took a moment for her to regain her senses and hear the strange hissing sounds over the drone of silence, realizing they were coming from nearby. The sounds were of Yasha wheezing as he lay on his side, as cold as the FireHeart itself.

"Yasha!" she cried, stumbling over and falling to his side.

Struggling a bit, she pulled him into her lap and looked over his face, finding it stained with sweat and tears, and his eyes pressed closed. His breathing was erratic and it made his body pulse against her, but she was relieved to see him alive and no longer in pain.

"Are you all right?" she asked frantically.

He laid in her lap, trying to grasp just how heavy his body had become and the chilling silence in his mind. He had never heard such silence.

"I am…alive."

She wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question, but it made her smile slightly in relief. "I think so," she said, pushing through her hesitation and brushing back some hair from his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would cause you so much pain." He had no answer but to breathe, but she found herself okay with that.

The aftermath wasn't as frightening as she thought it would be and she felt a fulfilling calmness as she had him on her lap. She felt like she could handle him, as long as he was quiet and still. "It's over now. We did it," she continued, giving a sideward glance to the FireHeart and where it hung frozen in the air. Her words made a shudder run through him and his hand slowly raised up to cover his face. With his eyes obscured, he convulsed slightly, drained emotionally and physically. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she thought he was crying and that it was uncharacteristic of him, though she could imagine it was the relief he felt. Allowing him this moment was the least she could do and she continued to hold him, while catching her breath as well.

"No," he suddenly said, clenching his hand tightly across his eyes.

"We failed."

As if being announced, the ice strangling the FireHeart cracked loudly and burst throughout the hall in a brilliant flash of orange light, startling Elsa as her arms tightened around him. Brighter than before, the FireHeart roared to life, taking every shard of her ice and turning it into dust. Seeing it stronger than before, she slowly shook her head, unable to believe it. She had used every bit of her strength to freeze it, yet it had done little more than stall it for a few moments. The endless whine had returned to her mind and now there was something else, gloating at her from somewhere nearby. The presence made a chill run through her, and she strangely felt it was familiar.

"He is here," Yasha suddenly growled, slipping his hand from his face and feeling every inch of his body tighten once more. She was surprised by his sudden change, though his reaction only added to the anxiety that was coursing through her.

"Who?" she asked.

As if her question was being answered, she suddenly felt the presence more intimately and her fearful eyes darted to the throne, where a tall figure was standing as if he had been there all along. A terrible smile was woven into his face and a pair of ancient eyes rested heavily upon them. She had no idea when he appeared or how she had missed him, but something about him made her tremble.

Yasha's voice barely pierced the aura of terror that had settled over her.

"Nazir, King of the FireHeart."


	17. Absolution of Fate

**XVII**

Absolution of Fate

"King Nazir," Elsa echoed heavily, her voice feeling inadequate against the towering presence that stood by the golden throne.

He was a regal man who didn't appear much older than Yasha, with long black hair down his back and extravagant robes hanging from his lean body, lined with golden trim and a vast assortment of gems and trinkets. His hands bore rings of gold, and a beautiful crown was on his head. He reeked of wealth and power, of ageless knowledge and mystical pedigree, and his glowing orange eyes were on her, unabashedly devouring her like the grasp of time itself. The smug expression he wore was an admission to the amusement that he found in seeing them there, huddling together like two frightened animals in the face of a dangerous predator.

He was pleased that they had already found out that they were powerless against the FireHeart.

"Well done in bringing the Snow Queen here, boy. Although I'll admit I don't quite understand your tactics. Killing her would have certainly been easier had you entered the FireHeart first," the king mused, mocking Yasha with his eyes. "I'm not sure how letting her try to freeze it plays into your usually impressive strategy."

In her lap, he grimaced and quietly stared upwards, lacking the strength to meet him, while also avoiding the draw of Elsa's eyes as they moved down to him. This revelation of his secret task made her recent trend of trust feel strained, though she continued to hold him thoughtfully, while demanding a quiet answer.

"What does that mean? What is he talking about, Yasha?" she asked breathlessly.

Knowing it was useless to lie anymore, he drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly, feeling just as pressed by her attention as the attention of his king. "Nazir tasked me in bringing you here with the hopes that I would assume the power of the FireHeart," he said, hesitating slightly.

"And kill you."

The admission made her gasp, her hands loosening on him. She had believed they were beyond this. While a part of her wanted to move away and distance herself from this intimate place she had given him, a small sliver of hope kept her kneeling there, holding his weak body and looking to him for some kind of justification. "Is it why you brought me here? After all that's happened?" she demanded.

He made a most unusual sound in response, a choking breath mixed with a self-loathing laugh. "If only I knew."

It was the worst answer he could give her. A denial would have reassured her that her growing trust was well-placed, while accepting that blame would have allowed her to once more view him as a criminal. As it stood, she hated him for giving her neither and leaving her to look down at him with uncertainty once more. "I was starting to trust you. I thought that I'd been mistaken, that maybe Anna had been right about you all along," she said painfully, her fingers digging into his shirt tightly, "What am I supposed to believe? Which is the real you?"

His mouth opened to answer, but nothing came out. The betrayal in her eyes was more painful than the agony coursing through his failing body and it was only made worse by the fact that there was no response to give. He had no strength to defend himself, for she was right. The villainy of his actions towards her was never more apparent in the way she still stayed close to him, trying to find sympathy for him, all while he laid there and said nothing, not once trying to ease her mind.

Bitterly, he wished even more that she had succeeded in ending his fate with the Heart.

"Well, isn't this a touching scene. It's really too bad that I'm the only one who gets to witness it. I bet Lind would love to see you two so friendly with each other," Nazir suddenly interrupted, his voice deeply echoing in the chamber. His words did little to disturb their moment or the conflict they shared. He felt offended by that, but as enjoyable as it was to watch history repeating itself, he was growing impatient. While he wouldn't admit it and in contrast to his amused impression, seeing the Snow Queen so close to his Heart was disquieting. It reminded him of a past long forgotten.

"Now then, are you finished with these noble whims, my foolish son? Are you ready to enter the Heart and take your place?" he asked.

Elsa winced once more, looking up at Nazir with wide eyes. "Your son?" she gasped, not truly grasping the significance.

A great smile spread over his face and he seemed more amused than ever as his eyes settled back to Yasha. "You didn't tell her anything, did you?"

Her eyes fell away to nothing for a moment, as if she were trying to comprehend what that meant. Nazir appeared too young to be his father, yet she remembered that he had once told her that Nazir was as old as the mountain, whispering that this dark king was obviously gifted in magic as they were. By some strange design, her fantasies about him being of royal lineage came true before her eyes, yet she was offended by it, if only because of Yasha's resentment of Nazir had bled into her. While she had wanted to know all of his secrets, she was finding that it was not as romantic as she once thought, and her eyes slowly moved down.

"Is it true?" she whispered.

To her surprise, he laughed. It was a sad sort of laugh, choked with bitterness and in response to a great, cruel joke. His body had relaxed, as if these bleeding secrets were taking away all of the pressure and leaving him helpless in her lap, unable to resist anything she could do to him. Strangely, the laughing helped make the admission easier.

"To my endless shame, this man is my father," he replied.

"Oh Yasha," she gasped, pulling her hands away. They had been through so much, even in their short time together, but nothing had prepared her for the truth of his bloodline. His resemblance to Nazir was overwhelmingly apparent now, yet her secret fantasy of his royal blood backfired.

As if picking up on her scrutiny, he suddenly sat up with great effort, using what strength he had left to push himself to his feet, though he stumbled and nearly collapsed again. By instinct, she had lifted her hands out to help, but didn't move from her place on the marble floor, simply watching him struggle back to his feet, her breathing still choked by all of these unfortunate admissions.

"Have you ever met a more wretched prince?" he spat bitterly, fighting keep his balance. His body was heavy and wouldn't obey him, but he was surprised at how much lighter he felt as he spit out his final introduction, his arms open to accept all of her judgments.

"You wish to know the real me? Here I am! Son of Nazir. The last prince of Fria. Heir to more madness than I could ever hope to bear."

Elsa struggled with these titles as she looked on, unable to speak. Nazir, on the other hand, was smiling and began to clap slowly, the sounds resounding in the cavernous hall. "Oh, you've always had a way with words. One of my most dramatic children. You've provided me years of amusement," he cheered just as Sid came floating out, hovering silently next to him. Her appearance made Elsa gasp, then look to Yasha for some kind of reaction, though judging by his gray response, she realized he had known about Sid's allegiance. She felt even more pity, as even his only companion had been just been one more force against him and she quietly wondered how he had endured such an oppressive fate and still remain the person that had touched her as he had.

"But enough amusement. There's still a task at hand," Nazir continued, waving his hand at the two of them, "I don't care for any of_ this._"

"Enter the Heart, boy. Your time is up."

As if reacting to the words, Yasha suddenly clasped his hand over his chest, hacking a deep breath. The reaction surprised Elsa and she could no longer sit still as she jumped to grab him, throwing away her distrust for the moment and seeing only him pain.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked in a panic.

"Why now? What does it matter if I die now?" he wheezed as he glared at Nazir, hating this father and king even more for still playing with him and hating the fact that he had no control over his own fate. "Only you…would pick this time, this place, to ransom my life."

Elsa winced. "What? What does that mean?" she asked, looking at his chest for some kind of injury, "Why would you die? You can't be dying. It's…you're still just fine!"

"I have always been dying," he groaned at her, showing the malice in his eyes, "Just like all before me, touched by the flame and cursed just the same. A cursed loan on a cursed life, all so I would bring you here." Her face showed she didn't understand, but her distress broke apart his anger, as he equally couldn't understand how her gentle heart could still worry over him. In the face of her compassion, his eyes became repentant as he let her see his despair, as if he no longer had the strength to be her monster.

"It appears there was really only one path after all," he wheezed painfully.

Suddenly, all of it began to make sense. The way he rushed her forward and the way he had been so forceful to get her to come with him. The words of the old woman suddenly struck Elsa, as they must have known that he was running out of time. The fact that they would be satisfied with him spending his last days with a lover made her feel a new level of pity for him and she couldn't stop herself from feeling all of the things she had been feeling for him.

Suffering her rebellious heart, she tenderly reached up and touched his face, as if she could somehow wipe away all of the curses from him with a single stroke of her hand.

"What a sad life you've led," she whispered.

Yasha felt a rush of blood to his face where her fingers touched his skin and he shivered, finding a strange serenity in her eyes. With everything at its end, he found himself musing over the irony at how easy it would have been to finish it all, to simply give up and let fate go on without him. It would have been a relief beyond measure to fall back into her lap and spend his last moments at the mercy of her soft touch, leaving Nazir to find another successor to the FireHeart – to finally take the easy path. She would be spared and he would be free.

Yet something inside wouldn't allow it, and it ignited a new fire in his eyes.

"I do not desire your pity," he grunted, tearing away from her and stumbling back a few steps to the stairs, dragging himself from her radiance and trying to once more focus on the darkness ahead of him.

"Yasha?" Elsa gasped at his sudden coldness.

He didn't answer.

Using what little strength and time he had left, he forced himself up the stairs, not caring for the roar of the Heart in his mind or the perverse grin of Nazir. He could no longer bear her kindness or wonder how to keep his promise to Anna. There was no sense of noble purpose for his people or fearful terror of the blackness beyond death. There was nothing left in him.

There was only the Heart.

He unceremoniously crested the stairs and gazed deeply into the churning ball of flame, trying to take in a deep breath but finding only a chilling lack of strength to breathe. His legs could barely hold him and his eyes pushed hard to close. Even his body was giving up, but there was one part of him that had the resolve to take the last steps along his fated destiny – his heart. It was the only thing he had left, against Nazir's relentless plans for him and against the seduction of the Snow Queen's kind eyes. He had been a prince and a vagabond, a criminal and a saint. He stood at the apex of his path, with the goal right before him, yet perverted by the truth that it was exactly what his deplorable father wanted. Instinct told him to beware, that this answer was tainted and might not serve his people as he hoped, but he clung to the chance at one last chance to defeat Nazir, to get exactly what he wanted out of the Heart.

In the end, there was only revenge, and it drowned out all else, even the last wailing calls of the enemy queen he had come to care for, as he fell quietly forward into the FireHeart.

Elsa covered her lips with her hand, muffling her last cries. His bitter rejection of her made a whimper slip through her fingers, though she was just as confused by how she was feeling as she always had been, a victim of Yasha's chaotic impact on her heart. She had thought she could reach him, in spite of the revelations. He was the son of a wicked king, a lair and a villain. Everything between them demanded that she despise him, yet watching him being devoured by the FireHeart had struck her in the chest, more viciously than any blow from their previously battles.

More than anything, she wondered if she could hate him now, but simply because she felt like he had broken her heart.

"Well, it's about time. I don't think I've ever had such a stubborn child," Nazir suddenly sighed, visibly relaxing in spite of the mood. All of his scheming and manipulations had finally paid off. It was time to reap the benefits of his efforts, after countless years of watching and pushing.

There was only one more thing left to take care of and his eyes moved slowly upon the Snow Queen.

"Now then, you may go."

Elsa blinked, barely able to convince herself that she had heard him correctly. She had expected him to gloat or threaten her or simply capture her for his wicked plans, yet he seemed wholly uninterested in her. He completely defied the villainous expectations she had of him.

"What did you say?" she whispered.

"You may go. Return to your castle or palace or wherever you wish. I have no further use for you," he replied, shooing her with his golden hand.

She shook her head in disbelief. "I don't understand. I thought you had Yasha bring me here to…" she started, but found even speaking about his notorious task was bitter in her mouth.

"Kill you?" he finished, then let his dark laughter fill the hall, "My dear, I don't care if you live or die. I only care that the boy enters the Heart. Now that he has, I see no reason to complicate matters by killing Lind's child."

She winced. She had heard him use that name before and it was strangely hypnotic in her mind, yet she had no idea who this Lind was. Neither of her parents had that name and she was certain she had never heard the name spoken in the kingdom.

"Lind? Who is Lind?" she asked breathlessly.

Nazir furrowed his brow slightly, then suddenly smiled widely and clapped his hands together. "You don't know? You mean she's never…oh, what a surprise! You've never met Lind! What a tragedy! You've spent your entire life in the dark, unaware of your very birthright. What a gag! I imagine you don't even know why you could hear the FireHeart or why you react so harshly to my little boy," he cheered, watching the way his words twisted her face in confusion. "She really does have a heart of ice, that Lind."

"What does all of that mean? Are you saying that this Lind is why I can hear the FireHeart, and why I can't control my powers around Yasha? Is Lind the other voice I could hear?" she demanded.

"Oh, so you have heard her voice. Ah, but she didn't tell you anything about your powers or mine. She always did like to do things differently," he mused as a strangely nostalgic look came over his face.

Elsa was feeling impatient by his evasive mood, though he met her eyes with a dismissive shrug. "Oh well. It doesn't matter. I'm not obligated to tell you what Lind wouldn't. Go now. Return to your happy little kingdom. Leave now, and you can sleep well knowing that you won't ever see this boy ever again," he assured her.

Though her desires to hear more about Lind and the voice from the other place were raging strongly in her mind, the perverse way he smiled when he mentioned Yasha made a wave of anxiety wash over her, and she forced herself to smother her questions.

"What are you planning to do with Yasha?" she asked sharply, "Haven't you done enough to him already?"

"Now why the concern?" he remarked, amused by her passion, "This is the boy that tried to kill you, and would most certainly do so again should I but ask. He has lied to you, hurt you and cheated you. He's dangerous, and doesn't hesitate to do what it takes to get what he wants. A true villain among villains."

"I was under the assumption you hated him."

His words were bitterly true and she did feel many of those things. She had spent the last few days in a state of emotional turmoil, being thrown from love and hate and everything in between. This relationship with him had been like trying to run downhill and she had never been sure of her own footing. Even now, she wouldn't know what to expect should he step from the FireHeart and meet her with those same resolute eyes, being subjected to his unconquerable resolve and fiery heart. The only thing she was sure of was that she wanted to see him again, in spite of the fear.

"I care about him," she replied, feeling her face a little warm and her hands a little shaky.

Nazir's smile faded at her tone and he suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to go through with his plan to end her, regardless of who he might anger. This young queen reminded him of a time long ago when another wielder of ancient ice magic had looked at him with those same eyes, dredging up memories that he wanted to leave locked in ice, forever to remain safely away from his heart. "How touching, but foolish in the end. You're more like her than you realize," he sneered, then waved off another of her inquisitive expressions in an attempt to leave the past in the past, "Very well. If you must know, I intend to turn him into the king of Fria."

The revelation tripped up her anger. "The king? You're going to make Yasha the king?"

"Isn't that what you do with a prince?" he replied haughtily, watching with a smile as it angered her.

"Long ago, I made up this silly tradition that anyone touched by the Heart would only have to prove themselves worthy to enter it and they would become the next king. It makes people motivated to do these little tasks I think up," he then explained, entertained at the expression on her face, "This boy has more than proven himself. I don't think I've ever had such a ferocious child."

"Then why the tasks? Why involve me and my sister in your quest to crown a new king?" she demanded.

Smiling darkly, he stroked his finely trimmed beard, making sure to take in every reaction she offered. "Why, to break him, of course," he replied, and it made her flinch. He enjoyed that expression. "The tasks are to mold them into the right shape, you see. To make it easier after they emerge from the FireHeart."

The air felt heavy and dark. Elsa felt her hands tightening and her magic was beginning to lap against her heart. She was beginning to understand why Yasha reviled his father so.

"Easier for what?" she asked cautiously.

"To _eat _them," he replied and watched the look of horror come over her. Bellowing laughter filled the air as he tried to contain his delight at her continuing reactions. "Oh, try to understand. We're talking about ancient magic that you couldn't possibly comprehend."

"To sustain the power and immortality of FireHeart, a 'child' is required. Over the years, I have molded these children, sending them away from Fria to struggle and die. When only the strongest have survived, I give them meaningless tasks to break them of some of their more undesirable traits," he explained, glancing from her to the FireHeart. "This boy clings to some gallant notion of helping his people and to a noble image of himself. Aww, and he cries for his mommy. So sad. But these things have made him strong and motivated, turning an otherwise worthless child into an excellent sacrifice. It was simply a matter of redirecting that motivation onto a cause that would shatter his image of nobility."

His eyes shifted back to her and he raised a claw-like finger up, a lewd expression on his dark face.

"You."

"That's…" she gasped, taking a step back from him and raising her hands out to defend herself from his dark heart.

"You're a monster!"

"Ah, that may be, but give credit where credit is due. I'm an immortal monster of power and magnificence," he replied, gracefully showing her the depths of his narcissism. "It's no lie that he will soon be in control of the FireHeart, and that little bit of timing can be tricky. I thought that only killing the poor, innocent Snow Queen would remove that noble image he has of himself and make it easier to break what's left of him. But oh, how he's done that already. He tears himself apart from the inside, hating himself and his fate, loving the meaningless people around him, and is hopelessly confused on what to do when a beautiful woman looks his way."

"And I have _you _to thank for that."

She could barely believe what she was hearing and was lost on the subtle insight into the state of Yasha's heart. His fate had seemed tragic before, but now it was simply unimaginable. Even as he had walked a path he hated and done things of which he could never repent, it had all been exactly what Nazir had wanted, as if his struggles and pain had meant nothing in the end. For Yasha's sake, she hated Nazir more than anyone she had ever known. His existence was a frightening opposite to the loving, tender parents she had been blessed with and her sympathy for Yasha was now more powerful than ever.

"How could you do these things? He's your son! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" she cried.

Nazir laughed darkly. "My dear, they've all been my sons," he replied. "Generation after generation, all of those touched by the Heart have been of my blood. A kingdom is quite the convenient harem, you see. Once I have the best and the strongest, each of them enter the Heart, for ambition or for conquest or for the sake of the insignificant masses, and each of them are born back into the world, intoxicated by the power given to them, and grasping at the golden title of king."

"And then, all of them, without exception, become Nazir, King of the FireHeart."

Elsa was breathing heavily, desperately trying to control her emotions. She had never met such a cruel creature, who showed so much enjoyment at the horrible fates he bestowed on others. Even she had played to his manipulations, with her volatile relationship with Yasha only moving him further into the exact position Nazir wanted, where he would then disappear forever, without even helping his people. That fate fueled her anger towards this terrible demon and she resolved to do anything she could to stop him.

"The crimes that I've hung on him and the harsh words I've used have all been yours, Nazir. I can't begin to understand how any father would treat his son in such a way and continue to smile as you are, but I won't let you continue this cycle of suffering, for Yasha or for these people. I'll stop you before you have another chance to hurt him!" she vowed, feeling her magic circle her and glaring at him with resolute eyes. Oddly, she felt in sync with that distant place from before, as if this was the culmination of all the warnings and that the noblest thing for her magic to do was defeat the monster before her. A selfish part of her wanted to press him for more answers about Lind and what he knew of the origins of her powers, but she knew she had to focus on the task at hand and spare these trapped souls the terror of living in Nazir's twisted world, for she somehow understood how dangerous he was even beyond the crimes he had committed, as if she he had known him for an eternity.

If she could manage the strength, she would save Yasha before he emerged from the FireHeart and before Nazir had a chance to perform his wicked magic.

While stiffened in the face of her passion, Nazir still retained the calm composure that reeked of ancient arrogance. He watched the young queen posture before him, his smile playing between concern and amusement, while he lost himself for yet another moment into the long-forgotten past. "Now that face brings back memories," he remarked, showing her a surprising level of affection, "You truly are Lind's child, but you should realize that you can't defeat me, just as you couldn't freeze the FireHeart. You simply don't have the power."

"You see…" he continued, looming like a great, ageless god at the top of the stairs and opening his arms to receive all of her contempt and fear.

"I am the FireHeart."

His confidence was as potent as his power and Elsa felt the sweat beading at her skin, even as the air was chilled. She had no idea how powerful he was or what he was capable of, though she feared him greatly as she realized that Yasha seemed reluctant to assault him directly despite how much he hated him, and he was far more the warrior than her.

Yet despite her nature, she was motivated to defeat him, for she had all the reason in the world to. Whether it was because of her beating heart or the resemblance to the monster before her, all she could think of was Yasha, and how she wanted to save him from his pitiful fate.

She felt like she finally found something she could do to redeem him.

As the two wielders of ancient magic faced off, uncertain of the other's true ability, a distinctly heavy presence suddenly filled the air, blanketing the chamber with pressure so potent that both of them instantly noticed it. It was like the roaring silence of a patriarch entering a room, dominating the atmosphere even as there was no tangible sensation to describe it. Elsa didn't know what this pressure was, but Nazir did, as he looked back to the FireHeart eagerly, forgetting the presence of the Snow Queen altogether.

"Ah, it seems like my meal has finished cooking. Such an impatient boy. I don't think anyone has ever mastered it so quickly," he remarked, watching as a figure appeared within the raging inferno and then slowly emerged, stepped out onto the marble floor.

Elsa's eyes were instantly drawn there as well and her body shivered, her voice weak.

"Yasha."

Standing before the raging FireHeart, Yasha took a deep breath as if it was his first, and exhaled a column of scalding steam. His eyes slowly opened. Rings of orange pierced his pale irises, but they didn't churn and fade as they had before, but glowed constant, reflecting the calm that had settled over the orb behind him. He didn't look to Nazir or Elsa or anything else in the chamber, but stared off into an imperceptible distance, as if the answers to everything were held there.

Slowly, his hands rose out and he looked to them, as though they now held the same answers. He was a creature that didn't seem part of the world, but was seeing things finally come into focus.

He didn't move for the longest time.

Elsa felt pressured to warn him of all the dark secrets that Nazir had told her and protect him from his impending fate, yet something was keeping her from moving, or even speaking. His presence was more overwhelming than before and even without his eyes upon her, she felt her heart raging in her chest. She had to save him, but a terrifying sound began to fill the air, making her skin baste with sweat even as her magic continued to envelop her. The sound pierced her and made her lips hang open in an inaudible gasp, with a name that desperately wanted to be said, but finding no breath to do so. All she could do was feel the icy terror coursing through her body, wondering if she could ever reach him again and find the shard she had been looking for, the part of him that seemed to slip further and further away her to the chilling accompaniment that pulsed through the air.

Yasha was laughing.


	18. Ashes Never Burn

**XVIII**

Ashes Never Burn

For what seemed like an eternity, Yasha stood at the top of the stairs, framed by the obedient FireHeart and looking around the world as if he no longer existed in it. For Elsa, he seemed like an entirely different person. His eyes, his smile and even his posture had changed. She had tried to prepare for his reappearance, yet found when he stood before her again, oppressing even Nazir with his overwhelming presence, she was frozen. As much as she desperately wanted to rush forward and tell him of the villainous schemes of his father, there was something keeping her rooted in place.

It was far different for King Nazir. While feeling a bit anxious for the aura that existed around his son, he was satisfied that everything was going according to plan. Yasha wore the same face as all of his brothers when they emerged from the FireHeart, twisted by the immeasurable power and magic that was bestowed upon them. This was the great symmetry of the Heart. No matter how different the child was before they entered it, they all stepped out the same, cleansed by fire and consumed by power. They no longer had any sense of self, and that was why his ancient spell always worked.

"Now you see the truth of the Heart, my son," he said, his eyes glowing, "You feel it in every part of you."

Instantly, Yasha's eyes shot to him and a wave of tension shook the air. Nazir lost his plated smile and felt on edge, for none of his children had ever regained such a look of intent, reinforcing the suspicion he had about the boy since the day he was born; Yasha was unlike any that had come before. Without realizing, he had almost cast the spell to devour him out of sheer instinct, though he had restrained himself. In all other cases he would have already used it, had there not been one slight inconvenience in this hallowed chamber of the FireHeart.

The Snow Queen.

"You now have the power, Yasha. There is only one thing left to do, and you will become king," Nazir continued, slowly raising his finger to Elsa. Her breathing became audibly shakier at the suggestion, though Yasha's eyes didn't move. The waves of power were washing over him and the persistent desire to have revenge against his father seemed petty now, like an echo of a former life. Yet a boiling anger towards him remained, tempered by a strange realization that tugged at the back of his mind and heart, reminding him of the tragic circumstances behind his relationship to this despotic king. It was almost laughable, had it not been so sad.

For the first time in his entire life, his father had called him by name.

"Yes," he replied, slowly pulling his eyes from him to look down at Elsa, "One does not put the fool before the queen."

As his attention shifted, Nazir's expression dissolved. Hearing his child belittle him was infuriating, but he also realized there was nothing he could about it for the moment. On his own, he couldn't subdue the Snow Queen, and she was still a threat to everything he had built. It was one of the bitter, unspoken truths of his connection to the FireHeart, to give up much of his own magical prowess in order gain immortality. Ironically, only his children could actually wield the full power of the FireHeart, leaving him to manipulate them into doing his bidding. He needed Yasha to kill Elsa, but that would be the last thing he would ever do in this world.

The maleficent king had to momentarily swallow his pride in order to get what he wanted.

"Yasha," Elsa said as he crested the top of the stairs and finally brought his attention on her, though she realized this attention wasn't what she had wanted. His eyes were powerful, not as before, but oppressive and cold. She once more feared him.

"How the world has changed," he said, smiling wickedly and raising his hands out to his sides, "Do you find it ironic, as I do? How does it feel to finally look up and see me?"

"You have to listen to me, Yasha! There's so much I need to tell you about Nazir. He's been lying to you about everything!" she cried, dismissing just how much he suddenly resembled his despotic father.

He scowled. "Do not sour this moment. To him, a lie is the same as a breath of air. It is his nature," he spat angrily, "But that no longer matters. _He_ no longer matters. I am the master of the FireHeart now. It obeys my will and none other!"

As he yelled, the FireHeart was raging as a reflection of his mood and sparks were shooting into the hall, setting brilliant pillars of flame all around. Soon enough, the entire chamber filled with towers of fire, but they didn't rage out of control, simply surrounding them, quietly thrashing without consuming a thing, a slave to the will of Yasha.

A pleased and terrible smile came over his face. "Do you see now? Do you see who is truly king?"

"That doesn't matter! You're in great danger!" she pleaded.

"Danger?" he repeated, then laughed loudly, the flames swaying to his every breath. The Heart was roaring behind him, with a deep tone resonating through the chamber, as if an entire choir of deep mountain vents played along with his voice. The magic that was flowing through him was more than he ever expected and a strangely affectionate part of him wanted to reveal that to her, though he didn't know if it was to allay her concerns, or punish them. All he knew was they would now reprise their fated conflict on his terms, where it was his magic that was superior.

"I do not think you realize who I am now," he sneered and suddenly flames began to appear on his body, consuming him.

"Or what I am."

Before her eyes, he was devoured by the flames and disappeared from sight, only to reappear on the other side of the chamber, his body still covered by the raging inferno, and his face still showing the same wicked smile. With such an immeasurable pool of power at his command, he was reveling in the things he could do, no longer bound by a cursed body and cursed life. He was simply free to do anything he wanted and that was more exhilarating that he ever thought imaginable.

"There is no more danger," he said, making her whip around and gasp at his sudden appearance, though he soon disappeared once more, only to appear in another place amongst the fires.

"There is no more shame."

"There is no more fear."

"There is no more pain."

His voice came from all around her, yet nowhere at all. She could no longer see him or ever hope to reach him, but his words thundered through the air, haunting her like the echoes from her own past.

"There is only everything I have ever wanted, right in the palm of my hand," he crooned from the sweltering wisps of fire.

This display of magic was like nothing she had ever seen and she could barely believe it could be used this way. With the FireHeart at his command, he was now merged with it, using it in ways she had never thought possible. He was flame, and it was making her heart race as she tried, if only for a moment, to anchor him back to the one place she wanted him to be – right in front of her.

"This is all a lie! Nazir is using you to get what he wants! He's using us both," she cried, looking back to the stairs.

As if accommodating her, he once more appeared from the flames on the steps, though he seemed little more than amused by her words. He didn't even feel it necessary to look over at his brooding father, the architect of an entire life of suffering. "Using me? Ridiculous. His time is past. I am no longer subject to his every whim and desire," he answered, though the topic made a terrible darkness wash over his face. "No, I am done with that fate. I will no longer suffer the humiliations of that fate! I will no longer suffer the humiliations of our fate!"

The last sentence came with an accusatory finger shot out at her, as if he suddenly shifted the blame. Having his anger suddenly thrust at her, she winced and shook her head.

"This isn't about me!" she cried back, "This isn't about us!"

"Oh, but it is. It has everything to do with you, and with us," he replied, taking a step down the steps towards her, "From the beginning, you have stood above me, your power greater and your position pure. And I swallowed it with every breath. I endured your superiority. But do you know what I see when I look at you now? Do you wish to know what I see as it is now I that stands above?"

"Please…" she began, but found she couldn't digest the cruelty in his words.

"Entitlement," he finished, and the word made her wince. "A perfect kingdom. A sister's boundless love. Magic for your every whim. What have you endured for such things?"

"Tell me what you have endured!"

His words were poison and they made her look away. She knew this wasn't his true self and that he didn't mean the things he said, but the pain was hotter than the flames around her and she felt angry for the way he marginalized everything she had been through, even when she had so intimately shared it with him.

"You know what," she whispered.

He paused on the stairs, his eyes wild. On his lips was nothing but more cruelty, though it stalled at the sight of her pain. He didn't know why he was attacking her. He knew he no longer had to harm her to get what he wanted. He didn't have to obey Nazir. He now had the power to do anything he wished, but something was driving him assault her, as his heart was only pointed at her.

"It is not enough. It could not possibly be enough! You have not paid enough for it," he growled, fanning his hand out as flames raged over every finger and nail. "But I will give your chance. I will allow you to earn the life you now enjoy."

The threat made her eyes instantly fly up, the turquoise colors of her power worn once more as rings for the cruel matrimony of their fate. She meant to meet him with more words, but instead found a wall of fire coming down on her, the product of his uncontrollable rage. The instant his magic hit her, a powerful force of her own surged out against it, breaking the flames and bursting wildly into the chamber as a matter of ice, fire and fog. That fog, caused by the conflict of their powers, suddenly covered everything, making the Scoria Chamber a gray world of mist and stillness that made Elsa stumble back.

Shaking off the momentary daze, she looked around quickly. There was no Nazir, no FireHeart and no Yasha. There was only gloom. The turquoise rings in her eyes faded slightly, though they didn't go away, and she could hear the whispers once more, not of the FireHeart, but of the other place. It was the voice that chilled her blood and made her quiver in fear.

_Beware the child._

Elsa jumped. She knew she wouldn't find the voice, but looked anyway. The enigma that was Lind once more surfaced, but she had no more answers to that riddle than before learning her name. She was still nothing more than a distant voice and a terrible force of will. Her words were nothing more than ice.

"Beware the child? Is that Yasha? Is that what you mean?" she called to the mists.

_Destroy the Heart._

"Destroy the Heart? I tried! I'm not strong enough!" she called once more, clutching her chest tightly, "The Heart is in Yasha now! How do I…?"

As she staggered around, her foot struck something hard and she stopped as she heard it clatter, then slowly looked down to the murky shadow at her feet. Her heart trembled. It was an ominous answer to her question and her hand twitched at her side.

Slowly reaching down, she grasped the handle of Yasha's Xenocryst, lifting it as the blade scraped across the marble floor in a harrowing answer to her question. Elsa stared at the black blade, traces of his blood still framing the spectral markings as they danced. Her breath was caught in her throat.

_Kill the child. Destroy the Heart._

"No…" she whispered.

More than any time before, she felt like she was tied into their fate as well, put in exactly the right place and at the right time, to either make the right decision, or make a horribly wrong one. As Yasha had been, she was indignant to that fate and oddly wondered just how much of this was a matter of some unresolved fable of ancient times ago, with the constant feeling of someone else moving through her and trying to control her hand. Even the dagger felt foreign in her touch, though there was no denying that should that blade ever make its way to his heart, it would be her hand that was holding it.

That thought terrified her.

At once, she was aware of someone coming through the mist and she turned just in time to see Yasha. Her reaction was to turn, though his movements were fast and he lunged through the fog, grasping both of her wrists tightly and capturing her. She gasped at his touch. Their hands set aside and their hearts only separated by wisps of fog, she stared up at him, closer than she had ever been before, and let out a slow, shuddering breath at the look of orange fury in his eyes. It was the worst time for him to come to her and his eyes shifted to the Xenocryst in her hand.

"You would strike me down with my own blade?" he growled.

Elsa could barely breathe. It was strangely intimate, this place they had in the mist. Had they only been a step closer, their life-and-death struggle could have been a simple embrace, their arms free to wrap around one another and their fate absolved, yet as it stood they were only a single moment away from finding death in each other's arms. She was horrified to feel the clench of her hand around the dagger and the way it was moving beyond her will, struggling to move towards his heart with all of the intent she could feel in the desperate voice in her mind.

Once more, her body was acting without the consent of her heart.

"I don't want to hurt you," she whispered desperately.

"Your hand says otherwise," he replied, keeping her hand in check but disturbed at how the intent there differed so much from the look in her eyes. It was as if he were facing two different people, and he was unsure which was more dangerous.

In what should have been an instant flash carnage, stillness filled the air and gave them a small reprieve. Their magic surged against one another, her hands stayed by his. He found it strangely fulfilling, so much so that it tempered his rage. "This is it, then. The end of the path. The end of our fate," he said, sounding more like his previous self than any moment since emerging from the FireHeart. The totality of his voice made her wince and plead with him through passionately glowing eyes, not so willing to bow down to the tragedy before them.

"Listen to yourself! You're still talking about fate like its something we can't control. You're still walking some path where one of us has to die. It doesn't have to be this way. I never wanted this, Yasha!" she cried, even as her hand was seeking his heart.

"What then, Snow Queen? What is it you wish?" he asked with a clenched jaw. "What do we have besides this miserable fate?"

"I…" she tried, feeling inadequate against his question. She truly had no idea, as nothing else was as focused as that fate, and that fact was as miserable as anything else.

"Tell me! What else is there for us?" he repeated, shaking her with his violent grasp and searching her eyes for any kind of answer, "Would we be friends? Lovers? The very notion is absurd! This world allows nothing but false pretense and shallow affinities. It is nothing but hellfire, burning everything that would ever mean anything! I have seen it! That is our world, Snow Queen. That is our fate. There are a thousand other stories of redemption and happiness, but not for us. Not for us."

His eyes were tired and his face was dark.

It was as if the FireHeart couldn't give him the answers he sought after all.

"What could you possibly do against this heartless fate?"

Elsa stared back, trying to find the same answers in his tragic eyes. She had no idea about fighting fate, or the will of the world. In many ways, she felt the same as he did, being dragged around by some unseen destiny that moved them like pawns, putting them through unnatural paces and never giving them a moment to catch their breath. This chaotic tale had thrashed her about, made her unsure and disoriented, all because she had met him. Seeing him still torn by the frantic drought of sympathy made her shiver in his grasp, looking passionately into his eyes. Her mouth was moving, but there were no revelations for him. There were no just excuses. There was only a simple truth that managed to escape through the squall in her heart.

"I can save you."

Yasha winced. Even then, she was looking down at him, seeing him as a pathetic creature that needed help and pity. He stood with all of the power of the FireHeart at his hands, able to command magic in ways she could never even imagine, and still she pitied him. Part of that infuriated him, stoking a wave of indignation that made flames rise around them and her face to twist in pain, yet something else made him waver from this madness that had taken him and he saw it in her eyes, past the peripheral rings of power and the blurred will of that other place.

Somewhere deep in her blue eyes, he saw that she was the kind and gentle soul he had discovered her to be, and that the differences between them were truly as infinite as the states of existence between fire and ice.

His grasp on her wrist suddenly weakened and she felt the dagger move slightly, making her gasp and look between him and the blade. His eyes were chilled, in spite of the intense heat around them, and she knew that he had done it one purpose, to let the blade have a chance against him.

"It is too late for that. Too late for your gentle heart to prevail. No more compassion. No more concern," he warned, his magic raging brighter and his eyes growing darker.

"I am ash, Snow Queen. I can burn no longer."

The rising temperature and spreading flames were starting to sear her skin, at the same time his hand was weakening on her wrist. The uncontrollable will that pushed the dagger towards his heart was at counterpoint to the heat of his flames and she realized she had control over neither. Either he would immolate her, or she would impale him. There didn't seem to be any other path. It was a bitter end to all they had been through and she felt like a spectator to this battle of wills. She hated him for dismissing her and ignoring her true desires in light of this frightening possession, though she had come to know how selfish he could be, especially when he was so eager to sacrifice.

Just as she began to feel the stifling air burning the inside of her lungs, something brightly glowing at his chest caught her eye and demanded her attention. Still hanging from a scorched cord and glowing hotly from the heat of his magic, Yasha's ring was losing its broken shape, becoming malleable by the heat and having all of its imperfections rounded out, though his heat would soon melt it completely, with her to follow. Feeling a sense of urgency at that, she looked to him fiercely, finding that while his resistance to the dagger was unstable, he had neglected her other hand, the one that she still moved according to her will. It was all she needed and her eyes now burned with a resolve that dwarfed his own.

"I keep telling you..." she cried, slipping her free hand from his grasp and thrusting it to his heart, where her fingers touched the glowing ring and her magic instantly froze it solid.

"My name is Elsa!"

The frozen metal bit instantly into his skin and he lurched backwards, breaking them apart as he clawed at his chest. Their sudden separation made her stagger as well, though she kept her stance and stared after him, her hand now grasping at her other wrist to keep the dagger still. Both of them panted from the exchange and he was quick to look up at her, his fingers running over the circular scar over his heart and finding the shocking symmetry of the frozen ring hanging from its threadbare cord. A surge of emotion welled in his eyes and he clutched to the circle of metal, realizing it had almost been destroyed. A lifetime of expectation had been lost in a moment of temptation and his eyes fell to the ground before him, his eyes livid at what he had become. He wheezed at the realization at how close he had come to letting his resolve completely burn away and that the only thing that had stopped him was a single touch from her. He also realized one other chilling truth as his fingers grazed the grated flesh over his heart.

For the first time in his life, Yasha had felt the pain of being burned, yet it was no flame that had scarred at him.

He had been burned by ice.

As his head fell forward and a pathetic groan came from his lips, Elsa fought every urge to go to him, realizing she still didn't have control over herself. Lind's possession was frightening and she knew it had nothing but animosity for him.

"Yasha. Please look at me, Yasha," she panted, keeping her grip tight on her wrist even as the blade still sought him out.

The man that was before her, collapsing under his own guilt, was suddenly the shard she had seen in their time together, but had left its mark on her just as deeply as the scarred flesh over his heart. This was the core that Nazir couldn't hope to conquer and the part of him that had cut through all of the fear and doubt in her heart. That was the part of him that had found residence there, in spite of her efforts to resist it.

That was the part of him she found herself chasing after.

Reflecting on all he had become, he suddenly stood straight with his head thrown back and his mouth tight in a self-loathing grimace. His hands were clenched at his sides and he was breathing heavily, though he hadn't uttered another sound. She watched, unable to do or say anything, aware of a rising sense of urgency that was coming from somewhere deep inside of her. This should have been the moment he came back to her, but something was wrong.

Something awful was about to happen.

"Elsa," he whispered, jarring her. It was the first and only time he had ever called her by name, yet something about his voice made her heart race, not because of the heat that was rising in her cheeks, but for the alarm rising in her chest. After a moment, she realized it was because of his eyes, and the terrible determination she once more saw in them. They were the eyes he showed when he was absolutely resolved to do something terrible.

As if finally being dismissed, the fog that had shrouded them suddenly swirled up into the chamber, leaving them standing on the marble floor, revealed to the FireHeart and Nazir once more. Their appearance surprised the king, or rather Elsa's presence infuriated him. He had expected Yasha to finish her quickly and he was getting anxious to use his ancient spell. While it had all started as planned, he was quickly becoming nervous at this delay and the look on his son's face.

"Yasha! Enough games! End this now!" he bellowed.

Yasha didn't react. He continued to look at Elsa, his eyes rolled to the side as he stood between her and the FireHeart. She didn't respond to Nazir's presence either, as the way he had called her name entangled her and kept her looking at him, hoping that the future she saw in those eyes wasn't the one she felt in her heart, and that all of her instincts about that moment were wrong. The way his breathing beat rhythmically against his chest frightened her, for he looked like a man ready to leap from a cliff.

Her lips parted to speak, but he moved first.

Letting out a great, shattered breath, he turned to face her, restraining her with his eyes and betraying her with his relieved smile. In spite of his serene appearance, he terrified her with his expression, and the finality in his words.

"Thank you."

Without warning, the FireHeart exploded behind him, shattering into the Scoria Chamber in a brilliant flash of light and sparks. Instantly, the possession in her hand broke away and the Xenocryst fell to the ground at her feet, while her eyes widened and her lips parted in complete and utter shock. With the FireHeart expelled into nothingness behind him, the glow in Yasha's chest disappeared along with the orange rings in his eyes, leaving them pale and clear once more as a final, exhausted breath burst out from his broken lips, relieving all of the tension in his body and making him fall to his knees. Everything began to fade from him, even Elsa's desperate face, though he managed to smile, finally finding the path he had always sought.

His eyes were already closed as he fell the rest of the way forward and into her open arms, though he could no longer hear her cries or feel the touch of her hands. There was no longer concern for his people, for he knew they would be in the same compassionate hands that he thought he felt for a moment, with his heart knowing that Elsa would take care of them. For that and many other reasons, he was glad he had been able to thank her and that the darkness had overcome him, so he couldn't see her regret over his fate. That was the coward in him, to want absolution for his many sins, but he would allow that in his final moments. He had endured enough and felt peaceful at his ultimate defiance to Nazir. His only regret was that his voice didn't work to say one last thing to her and he quietly berated himself for it.

In the end, he wished he had the strength to properly apologize to her.

For everything.


	19. Fate Unfrozen

**XIX**

Fate Unfrozen

"What have you done?!"

The screams of Nazir filled the Scoria Chamber, resonating off of the gilded chandeliers and golden throne, and through the empty alcove where the FireHeart once burned. The ornate king stumbled there, his hands shaking and his eyes wildly darting around for any sign of the mystical orb, yet found nothing but harrowing stillness, and the cold space where his everything once was. Falling to his knees, his golden fingers clawed into his face, which was twisted in terror, while a wailing moan escaped him, a dirge for his immortality.

After countless years of unchanging dominance, the FireHeart was no more.

Elsa didn't watch him. Her attention was solely on the tragedy in her arms as she knelt on the marble floor, cradling the motionless body of Yasha, completely unsure how she should react. Seeing the FireHeart explode behind him had been a crucible of emotions for her, for it was the entire reason they had come, yet had cost them so much. He was now in her grasp, but terrifyingly still and cold, leaving his face more relaxed than she had ever seen it. His chest didn't move. His heart didn't beat with fire. His eyes no longer burned with resolve.

He was simply gone.

"Yasha?" she whispered, carefully using the back of her hand to brush some of his hair from his face as she had done before, when he had been crushed by fate and also lay helpless in her lap. This time the stillness didn't encourage her or give her hope, and his words still resonated with her. They weren't friends, and the notion of them being more did seem absurd to any rational mind. Yet, as she looked down at his face, free from all of his burdens and all of his pain, she knew that deep within her chest, where there were no masks and no consideration of fate, she felt something, and while it was neither exactly pain nor regret, it was akin to the fear and uncertainty she had often felt throughout her life, differentially tempered across her heart as chaotically as the feelings she had felt for him from the beginning.

She didn't know how to describe what she felt and didn't feel brave enough to try.

"You can open your eyes now. You finally did it. The FireHeart is gone," she said as her fingers brushed his face, her lips phasing from a painful smile at their success to a fearful frown at the realization of its cost. "You can't give up now, after all we've been through. You're people are finally free."

"You're finally free."

There was no response and she wondered why her chest was so tight when not a single tear would fall for him, and her mind was being assaulted by questions that no one could ever answer.

_"Were we this far apart after all?" _

"_Are these feelings I have nothing more than fear and doubt?"_

_"In the end, was the only thing we really had together just…fate?"_

Her mourning would be given no more time as the ground suddenly began to shake and roll. It tore her from her regret and caused her to throw her arms around him, strangely protecting him even though he would answer her no more. Instead of finding her answers, there was a terrible wailing and her eyes flew to its source.

In the empty alcove, Nazir was twisted into himself, crying out in a pathetic moan as he staggered to his feet. The curtains of lava once framing the magnificent FireHeart were beginning to gurgle out from the mountain, free from their restraints and pouring onto the marble floor behind him. The rush of mountain blood made the air in the chamber ripple and she gasped, realizing that she had to get out of there, yet also realizing that Yasha was too heavy for her carry alone, and that there seemed little point in trying to save someone who was already gone.

Yet, she couldn't bear the idea of just leaving him there.

"Yaaaashaaaaa!" Nazir howled as he whirled around, enraged at his defiant son. Lava was bursting all around him and he was glaring at the body in her arms, his orange eyes reflecting the fading of endless days and the malice of a fallen god. A golden hand clawed out just as a wave of molten rock overtook him, devouring him in stone and fire and smothering out his terrible cries.

Like the FireHeart, Nazir disappeared in a shower of flame, screams and sparks.

As the lava poured into the Scoria Chamber, Elsa's heart raced. She tried to move Yasha's body towards the exit, but it was an effort in futility. Her magic exhausted and her skin beading with sweat, she looked down to his serene expression, choking at yet one more mechanism of fate, and the choice before her.

Stay and be burned alive.

Escape and leave him to be consumed by fire and stone.

Even after he had paid the price for his broken shackles, it seemed the will of fire was still going to claim him, and she could do nothing to stop it.

"Elsa!" a voice suddenly yelled, and she turned just in time to see a sled come rocketing up through the entrance to the chamber, pulled by an exhausted reindeer and containing Anna, Kristoff and Olaf. She had never felt such relief as the sled came skidding to a halt next to her, with Anna jumping out and rushing to her, her eyes widely taking in all of the danger around them. "The whole volcano's going off! This is so not the best place to be right now!" she cried, then looked down to the lifeless Yasha and winced, "What happened to him? Is he okay?" The silence in her sister's reply and the terrified look in her eyes gave Anna her answer, but Kristoff wasn't sparing any time for inquiries.

Jumping down from the sled and seeing how tightly Elsa was still holding onto him, he grabbed Yasha and threw him over his shoulder. "No time to chat. Everyone in the sled. We've got to get out of here!" he yelled and climbed back in, putting Yasha in the back and grabbing the reins.

Anna grabbed Elsa's hands and pulled her to her feet, though was quickly distracted by something rising from the lava behind them, which reflected hotly in her wide eyes.

"What is that?!" she cried and Elsa turned to look as well, sharing her shock.

A great, tormented form began to rise out of the molten rock, thrashing about and howling under the intense heat. Arms of dripping lava were coiling around the chamber and tearing the golden chandeliers from the ceiling, while two distinctly malevolent eyes began to glow bright orange as they turned their attention to the group. Even amid the cries of agony, there was something distinctly focused in the howling, and they could make out a single name being warbled from the depths of the creature's gaping maw.

"Yaaaaashaaaaaa!"

"Nazir," Elsa gasped, unable to believe that his will was so strong.

Anna had no idea what was going on, but she knew that this wasn't the place they wanted to be. Dismissing the creature and tugging on Elsa's hand, she leapt back into the sled and made sure to wrap her arms around her distracted sister.

"Go, Kristoff!"

"Come on, Sven!" he yelled in response and threw the reins forward, urging the reindeer to drag the haggard sled back down the stairs and towards the entrance.

As they coursed through the elaborate hallways, crashing through fine wooden tables and shattering elegant mirrors, Anna turned her attention to Elsa and ran her hands over her, making sure she was okay. The distant look on her sister's face, especially in light of the crisis, worried her. "What happened? By the time we got here, the volcano was starting to erupt and those masked guards were already getting people away from the town. Did you guys already know what was going to happen?" she asked.

Elsa winced, then slowly shifted her eyes to Yasha. Strangely, she remembered him standing at the top of the steps and talking to the guards, and she realized that he must have already been preparing for this effect of destroying the FireHeart.

It was just another secret he had kept from her.

_"Even before we approached the Heart, you were already saving your people."_

That glimpse of his real self made his sacrifice suddenly more painful and she looked to Anna with a whimper. "Yasha…he…" she began but the sled suddenly rocked into one of the walls and jarred them.

Anna grunted as she straightened herself and threw Kristoff a fierce glance. "Hey! Be careful!" she yelled, but then something behind them grabbed her attention. Down the hallway, a wall of molten lava was pushing towards them, devouring tapestries and golden lamps and anything else in its wake.

Anna's face popped.

"Nevermind!" she shrieked, "Go faster!"

Kristoff looked over his shoulder and grimaced as well, then tried to push Sven even harder. "I'm going as fast as we can! Sleds aren't made to go over rocks and stairs!" he yelled, feeling just how damaged it was from their hurried trip to Fria and how the lack of snow had taken its toll on the wooden rails. He knew Sven was exhausted from pulling them over the rocky ground and that the sled wouldn't last much longer. He only hoped it would last long enough to get them away from the volcano.

With the sled and the reindeer at their limits, they burst from the entrance of the volcano just moments before a spout of lava followed, spraying into the dark sky with steam and sparks. The sled sailed completely over the stone stairs and landed hard in the village square, with the added load and exhaustion cracking the rails and splintering the woodwork. They managed to scrape along the cobblestones and dirt until the sled finally shuddered and broke into pieces, throwing them out as the shattered rails dug into the black soil, then finally came to a battered stop in the open ground just before the forest.

At the volcano, the lava was pouring out of the entrance and down the sides of the mountain, with a tower of ash rising into the air, lit off by sparks and explosions. It was a spectacular sight, but also a terrible one as the lava began to consume the kingdom and anything around it. Scanning the area lit by fire and spark, they could see groups of people gathered around the countryside as they watched their world burn. There were wails of sorrow and loss, but Yasha's preparations had saved them from being devoured by the angry mountain, even if they couldn't appreciate it right away.

The thought made Elsa look down to him as he lay with the remnants of the sled, still quiet and cold. Her hand rested on his for a moment, wondering if he could appreciate the costly salvation of his people.

Suddenly, an explosion larger than the rest rocked the ground and nearly tossed everyone from their feet. The side of the mountain burst open and a molten hand clawed its way out into the black sky. As fire and rock belched out around him, the terrible creature crawled out, still screaming out the name of the son that had shattered his Heart and searching for him even as he was no longer able to answer. This creature had no consideration for the world around it and molten hands were sweeping across the burning town, crushing homes and flattening forges, turning the kingdom of Fria into a raging inferno.

Nazir's final wrath would soon raze the entire countryside.

"Oh, come on! How are we supposed to stop that?" Anna yelled.

The idea was daunting, yet one of them stepped forward to put an end to this madness, walking confidently towards the raging creature and feeling their frozen magic up to the task. "Everyone step back. I'll handle this," Olaf proclaimed, cracking his twiggy hands together as he smirked defiantly to the sheer size of the monster.

Anna watched him with an incredulous look on her face, but then heard a strange voice and looked over to Elsa as she knelt by Yasha, her hand cupped gently over his. She heard her speaking quietly, but something about her voice was different and it made her shiver.

"_Consider this payment for doing what I couldn't so long ago."_

"Elsa?" she asked quietly, watching her sister rise.

Elsa turned, her eyes glowing brightly in the most beautiful color of turquoise, and it made Anna gasp. It was like she was looking at a completely different person and she said nothing as the queen walked past, a terribly cold air following her and crests of icy magic spreading out from each of her steps upon the black soil. Her movements grabbed the attention of all and she walked alone out into the clearing, swirls of crystal ice dancing around her and her dress glowing the same color as her eyes. The scars of her travels faded away from the dress and a new cape extended from her back, though this was not made like the one before, but seemed to be nothing more than a vaporous sheet of cold against heat, rolling like mist from her back and out across the ground behind her. This new presence dragged the attention of the lava creature away from its chaotic search for Yasha and it locked onto her with its glowing orange eyes.

Its howling voice became a shriek of tragedy and despair as it moved towards her, crying out into the pitiless black sky.

"Linnnnnnnd!"

The name made a frown cross Elsa's face, but didn't deter her from her task. Her hands moving around her and up through the air, her eyes closed as she summoned her magic, moving as if she were dancing. The icy swirls caressed her and surrounded her, then began to rise, bellowing through the air and sparkling against the distant sparks and flames of the volcano. From those swirls of magic grew a delicate form of beauty, like an avatar of the radiant queen that birthed it. The magic coalesced and formed into the form of a beautiful woman, made purely of ice, growing right out of the misty vapor coming from Elsa's dress. The others were taken back by the sheer size of it and the way the air around them seemed to freeze, yet didn't make them shiver.

Faced with a creature of equal size and power, the lava monster shrieked out, thrashing through the town even more as burnt stone covered everything. It called out the name, unfocused and full of regret.

Slowly opening her glowing eyes, Elsa looked at the creature with no expression, but for the frozen tears that were rolling down her cheeks and bursting from her chin as nothing more than icy dust, and equal remorse.

"_Farewell, my love."_

She slowly raised her hand out and commanded her creation to fulfill the task, which it did by parting its icy lips. With a burst of frozen breath, the titan covered everything with ice, freezing fire and ash, wood and stone. Even the rage of the mountain couldn't resist it and its searing blood soon ran cold. When the ice struck the lava creature, it howled in pain and terror, trying to fight off the coming fate, yet couldn't resist the grasp of it as the ice crept up its body, turning black to blue. This shell around Nazir became a tomb as the molten stone first cooled and stopped, then froze completely, just like the entire mountain behind it. Even the ash in the sky was frozen, forging a diamond tower that soon cracked under its own weight and fell back into the volcano, sending a shockwave of ice and wind out and giving all that watched the final testament that everything that was Nazir was now gone.

The kingdom of Fria was no more, lost to stone and ice.

"Wow," Olaf remarked, looking on, "That's way better than what I was going to do."

When the air finally settled and the landscape was frozen tundra before them, the ice titan that ruled the dark sky suddenly wrapped its arms around itself and burst into a shower of snow, leaving Elsa to fall forward and clutch her head with a shaky hand. Anna rushed forward to help her, but found the distressed look on her face frightening.

With the glow fading from her eyes, Elsa could feel the presence that had haunted her fading away, though for some reason and against all of her previous experiences, she didn't want it to go. There were still so many questions she had and so much she wanted to know. With Nazir no longer able to tell her, she desperately felt like she had to reach out for the withdrawing voice.

"Don't go! I have so much to ask you."

_You've come this far without me._

"He said that I'm your child. What does that mean?"

_One day, you'll understand._

"Wait! Don't go!"

As the last tendril of Lind's will was pulled from her, Elsa rolled forward and placed her hand across her chest, breathing heavily as she stared at the frozen ground in front of her. The voice completely faded away, but she wasn't even sure the conversation had happened at all. None of her questions had been answered beyond the single, cryptic response that she was somehow connected to Lind, and that her tragic fable somehow bound her to Nazir, and to Yasha. The thought made her look up to Anna, seeing the concern in her eyes, then look over to the lifeless figure laying against the broken cart, realizing that they had finally put an end to everything around them; Nazir's terrible legacy, the powerful existence known as the FireHeart, and one more thing that had been dragged along with it all.

They had finally put an end to Yasha's fate.

Slowly rising and catching her breath, Elsa held to Anna for support and leaned her head against her, staring at him and wishing they had found a better end. She could hear Anna's steady breathing as she looked on as well and she suddenly felt even more remorse. The cries of his people would certainly fill the night in time, but she was shaken by the utter silence as they looked at him. Even after the conclusion to this tragic story, she didn't cry. It was just one more pathetic reminder that she had no idea how she felt about him or how she was supposed to react.

As they all looked to him quietly, a single point of light came floating through the stillness of the air, casting orange streaks of light and dropping a line of funeral pyres to the frozen ground as she went. In light of the blue and white world around them, it was a chilling reminder of the colors of the FireHeart and their eyes slowly moved to this candle-in-mourning.

"Sid," Anna gasped, watching the fire sprite as she silently floated to Yasha's lifeless body, settled down onto his chest and wilted there, her fiery form seeming to dim with every passing moment she lingered without the FireHeart.

"No…" Sid managed to choke out, placing her small hands across his cold chest and trying as hard as she could to weep for him, yet fully realizing that fire sprites had no tears to cry, and that she would soon follow him into the lonely darkness beyond.

In reverence of her last wish and as she tried desperately to weep, a single droplet of fire fell from her, landing on his chest right where the circular scarring was, scoring perfectly in the center and instantly disappearing in a bright flash. As if reacting, red markings began to appear on his skin, fading in and out and swirling around the center of his chest, where a heart beat no more. The markings suddenly formed an ancient crest and burned brightly, making everyone gasp and watch as the runes coursed over every inch of him, like fire through an ash-filled mantel, and finally bursting brightly into a flower of sparks that burst from his chest and lit up the dark night all around.

Slowly and with much effort, Yasha's eyes opened to a blurry world, finding shadows, but no substance or sound. There was no sensation at his skin. He couldn't move his body. He couldn't even tell if he was breathing, but as his pale gray eyes began to push through the burning pain and focus on the shadows, a face began to appear. It was a face he recognized and he felt a breath seep from his parting lips.

"Anna?" he wheezed, even more surprised by the sound of his own voice.

Still out of focus, he could nonetheless see a smile come across her face and her lips moving, though he couldn't hear her speak. Just the sight of her made him relax.

After being thoroughly washed by revenge and death, he took a moment to appreciate the irony of seeing her. "I did not expect it would be you that I should find waiting for me in the afterlife," he remarked weakly, closing his eyes as her voice was starting to resonate in his ears. He still couldn't make out her words, but it was strangely comforting enough to know she was nearby. He decided that he might enjoy bantering with her for all eternity.

In the face of that eternity, an impish smile worked its way over his face. If he was finally free of the wicked world, he no longer had any use for his masks. "While I am amused by the prospect, it is a shame that I will not spend eternity with your beautiful sister instead. That might have been far more…" he mused, though his entire being was suddenly rocked with a dull impact and he felt his breath burst from his lips.

The blow was surprisingly effective at clearing the fog from his mind and he opened his eyes to stunning clarity, finding it really was Anna that was sitting over him, her fist at his stomach and her face showing an irritated smirk. He could also hear her voice very clearly now.

"It looks like he's fine," she announced.

Yasha blinked and tried to catch his breath, as he was beginning to think he hadn't passed on as expected. There was a strange sensation of heat at his chest and he looked down to find Sid clutching to him, wailing about how much he had worried her and how scared she had been to lose him. The immediate concern of how she continued to exist without the FireHeart fell away to his own survival and his fingers grazed the frantic sprite, returning his attention back to Anna.

"This is not the afterlife?" he grunted.

She smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Nope. You're still among us living."

The revelation made him exhale awkwardly and look around, finding the moon in the sky, the pale reflections of ice in the distance and the familiar faces of Kristoff and the magical snowman Olaf. Soon enough, his eyes came across Elsa, though she had a very curious expression on her face, a mixture of embarrassment and relief, though the red in her cheeks and the attentiveness in her eyes were striking. He had trouble controlling his own reaction, especially after the slip of such an honest confession about her.

He was fairly certain he had just revealed how he secretly felt about her.

"Uhm, hi," she said, shyly curling her fingers as she watched equal embarrassment spread throughout his face.

Although his eyes lingered on her for several moments, to try and soak in the depth of his admission, he then leaned his head back and his hands quickly moved up to his face as the tension rattled him, making him try to come to terms with the state of his heart, as well as the fact that with just a simple glance, he found it was no longer beating at the pace he wanted it to. He sighed heavily, once more masking the expression he wore. He suddenly felt ill-equipped to conquer the atmosphere he had created.

"Fate…has a poor sense of humor," he groaned.

With the final recognition of fate's true nature, he left his hands to cover his face, which had grown unstable between the smile of embarrassment and the tears of relief. His life had ended the moment the FireHeart ceased to be, yet there he was, reborn like the phoenix and presented with an infinite amount of pathways before him, bound only by the fate that was whispering to him by the beating of his heart.

Like him, the land was thrust into a new world, with an endless expanse of frozen stone layered upon the lives its people once knew, with no more smoke and no more ash rising up above the silent mountain. The world of Nazir was no more, and all of those touched by him were free to find their own world and their destiny, without the cause of tradition or expectation of fate.

No sign of this new world was more evident than the fact that for the first time since the FireHeart had appeared in the depths of the mountain, generations upon generations ago, snow began to once more fall on the magically frozen kingdom of Fria, putting the ancient mountain to sleep and signaling to them that even as it ended, the next story was just beginning.


	20. Epilogue

**The Snow Queen and the FireHeart**

Epilogue

On the day of the MidWinters Ball, Queen Elsa walked alone through the halls of her castle, the sounds of her footsteps her only companions as she made her way away from the noise of the celebrations. The festivities had lasted all day and the dark sky had been alight with fireworks. The announcement of Princess Anna's engagement had bolstered the mood in town, as did the refugees from the lost kingdom of Fria as they discovered their new lives among the denizens of Elsa's kingdom.

Arendelle was celebrating a new transition in its history and everyone felt it was the grandest MidWinter celebration ever, yet Elsa walked alone, preoccupied with other thoughts, as she had all day.

Stopping outside a large, sturdy door, she paused and held her shaky hands over her beating heart. She stared at the lacquered wood and focused on her breathing, which came out in barely-visible wisps of vapor. Her hands were clammy and her skin showed the slightest signs of perspiration, with those small beads of sweat quickly frozen into icy dust and blown into the air, which was colder than usual in the brightly lit hallway.

Inwardly, she mused how her powers still suffered the will of her emotions.

She stood there longer than intended. Strangely, she found it hard to simply reach out to the intimidating door, as if it would retaliate against anything she did. There was something behind that door that frightened her, yet also demanded that she move forward against her fears. The fear she felt for the path she was about to walk was unlike anything she had ever felt before, with a destination so unknown she could barely imagine it, yet fully understanding that the rest of her body was once more under a strange possession, one that centered at the middle of her beating heart.

A gentle knock rattled the door and it slowly opened between Elsa and Yasha. Her expression showed that she wasn't actually ready for what she was about to attempt, for her eyes were wide and her chest frozen at its highest apex of breath.

For his part, he was surprised by her visit, but pleased. He stifled his true reaction to her out of sheer willpower.

"Your Highness," he said politely, bowing to her.

Elsa was still not used to hearing him call her with such formality. To her dissatisfaction, it made them feel more distant in spite of all they had been through. She gave him an anxious smile and lingered in the hall, her nervous hands clutching an ornate mask, the one she intended to wear to the masquerade later that evening. Conversely, she noticed how his appearance was far different than any time she had seen him before, with the memories of his terrifying appearance when they first met a distant glimmer in her mind. It was charming to see him wearing his new clothes, styled like the royalty of Arendelle but in the red and black of his native kingdom. His hair was shorter and neat, and he gave off a regal, handsome aura. He truly looked like a prince and she was struck by how well it suited him.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Yasha. May we speak a moment?" she asked with equal politeness.

"Of course," he replied, stepping to the side and gesturing into the room. "Please."

Taking a deep breath, she stepped in gracefully, her elegant dress fanning out behind her and her eyes scanning around. It wasn't a room she entered often, but had chosen for him because of the excellent furniture and the grand fireplace glowing brightly in the stone mantel. More than she would admit, she searched for signs of him. Much to her expectations, there was very little. A smile came over her as her eyes fell on the only sign of his belongings; the exotic dagger called Xenocryst, his bamboo flute and the ring that could always dominate her attention. Unlike the first time she had seen it, the ring was now perfectly round, having been re-forged by his magical flames and tempered by her ice. It also had the most unusual blue glow and a strange rippled appearance, as if it bled the ancient magic that had formed it. She let her eyes linger on the ring, remembering how it had awoken him from the madness of the FireHeart. It was a catalyst for her memories of him.

"How may I serve you?" he asked, aware of her sudden silence.

She quickly turned, waving her hands to disperse the formality that had grown between them. "Oh no, I'm just here to see how you are. After everything that happened, I was worried about you," she said, a bit embarrassed by the flimsy excuse she had to come see him. "Is there anything you need?"

"King Nazir and the Heart are no more. My people are safe. And for you to welcome them into your kingdom is…" he said, showing a bit more emotion than he intended, but forcing through it with a grateful smile.

"I could ask you for nothing more."

"It's nothing, really. You're all welcome here," she replied, looking around the room and seeing some recently-placed decorations from the artisans of Fria.

"Your people have already begun selling their wares in the market and even though there are so few left, I hear they're very popular. I've even ordered some made for the castle. I only wished they'd have been ready for the ball tonight," she said, trying to move towards the subject she had come to discuss and why she was twisting the mask in her fingers.

"I am hopelessly indebted to you," he replied, looking at her with gracious eyes.

She felt nervous under his gaze and shifted from foot to foot, something unusual for the mannerly queen. She inwardly hated how his eyes melted through her and the way he seemingly flaunted this power to disturb her. She had so often been at the mercy of his eyes, but no other time seemed as dangerous as the way they were on her now, silently revering her and whispering of the adoration he admitted to as he came back from the dead.

Her unrest grew when his eyes had fallen to her chest and stayed there, making her breath seize in her throat. She found his attention unnervingly bold.

"Where did you get that?" he asked suddenly, shattering her wandering thoughts.

Her fingers went up to the gold and silver brooch that she had pinned across her chest, the only element of her dress that wasn't created by her magic. The black gem glowed with the mysterious red markings of his kingdom and her mind went back to the old woman who had given it to her as she pleaded with her to help Yasha.

"Oh. The woman you call Oma gave it to me the day we faced the FireHeart. It's so beautiful, I thought I'd wear it for the ball," she explained, fondly looking down at it. He seemed unsettled as his eyes moved from the brooch to her face, his mouth twisting with a dozen silent words. She wasn't lost on it.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Forgive me, but in Fria that brooch is gifted when giving one's blessing for a marriage," he explained.

Elsa's skin erupted with heat. On that day, it had been awkwardly charming when the old woman had thought they were together for intimate reasons, and she had been barely able to brush it off in lieu of their impending task, but even since returning from the lost kingdom of Fria, her enkindled affection for him caused the explanation to overwhelm her facade.

He sighed at the actions of the old woman and gave her a sympathetic look. "There is no way you could have understood its significance. After all, it was a tradition in Fria," he remarked, though her face was still pale and her eyes wide. Her plight made him smile softly, ruling upon the prank as if he wore the lost crown of his kingdom, though he was secretly amused by her expression. "But Fria is no more. If it pleases you, continue to wear it, though be prepared for some interesting reactions from my people."

She found his efforts her did little against the embarrassment and she continued to play with the brooch with her fingers, debating whether or not to remove it, all the while her eyes were set into his and her red lips quivering in thought.

"I will," she began, then hesitated before finishing her sentence, "give it some thought."

A moment passed between them, with neither able to surmount the mood. It was obvious that they both still had something on their minds, but the atmosphere in the room was heavy. Elsa moved to speak several times, though she retreated each time with a look of frustration on her face. She was still flustered by the subject of the brooch and her fingers continued to play across the black gem.

His response was to wait patiently, but ultimately he tried to break her uncomfortable aura by speaking first. His face had become solemn. "May I put to you a request, Your Highness? It is a personal matter."

She seemed relieved, and excitedly curious.

"Yes, go on."

He hesitated, and then moved into the room, his eyes falling over his simple belongings and how they contrasted with the beautiful décor. "Your generosity goes beyond my ability to repay you. You saved my people, and my life," he began, thinking on how their journey had come to this point. He never once believed he would be there, standing in her graces and pardoned of all the terrible things he had done. His expression failed as he looked down on his pile of belongings.

"I wish to leave the castle," he admitted, his finger touching the ring gently.

She looked as if she had been stabbed through the heart. It wasn't the request she had hoped it to be and she stepped towards him. "What?" she asked through broken lips. She couldn't mask the disappointment on her face and her voice was shaky. "May I ask why?"

"I do not belong here. I am no different than my people, and I deserve to be with them," he replied distantly.

"Yasha," she said, her eyes full of objection, "You're their prince, if not their king. Your place is here, in the castle."

"I have never lived in a castle. I have never worn a crown," he replied, then turned to her with fierce eyes, "I am a prince only because _that man _was my father, and the legacy holds no value to me. Now Fria is gone and I am surely no king. By what right do I deserve to live any differently than my people?"

"You gave everything for your people. How is that not your pedigree as their king?" she countered.

With a gruff sigh, he stubbornly couldn't accept the birthright. He was overwhelmed by her support and he could barely grasp her reasoning. His actions towards her had villainous, yet she welcomed him and his people to her kingdom. This young queen had already proven to be his superior, in magic and in heart, and beyond his stated reasons, it was maddening to feel as he did about her, in spite of all he had done. His admission had been in the haze of death, yet truly reflected his heart. Somewhere on their journey, even as he lied to her and manipulated her and even turned his hand against, he had found himself longing for her attention and the gentle nature she commanded.

In contrast to his dark life, she was a radiant beacon of light and he wasn't sure she would understand the feelings he had for her.

"It is no more than they would do for me," he whispered.

Elsa pursued him, urged by her beating heart and a new sense of fear – a fear of walking without him. "Which is all the more reason you belong here. Can't you see that? You're their king by your noble heart, not by your father's blood. There's no more FireHeart. No more magic and no more reason to be in exile. You're you, Yasha, the one who fought to free them. Can't you finally stop fighting, and just accept what you fought for?" she answered.

Yasha lingered before one of her beautiful ice sculptures, which stood in defiance of the warmth of the fireplace as it swirled elegantly up through the air, almost appearing as translucent blue flames frozen endlessly in time. He was trying to accept her words, but he was too unsure of many things. Her wisdom and her beauty charmed him and he admired how her magic could create such wonderful things, while his magic had done nothing but tear the world down around him. It had destroyed his home and tortured his people, and it was she that saved them and gave them a new home.

He had trouble understanding her.

"How can you be so kind?" he asked quietly, running his fingers over the sculpture – over her ice. He had fought his whole life, fought to survive and fought to endure. Standing in her graces wasn't an outcome he was prepared for, especially with how he felt. His people were saved as stated, yet he was still the outcast and the exile, unqualified to act like a prince or king, as he had never felt like either. In truth, her world was one he was unfit for, for all he had ever known was the path Nazir had set him on.

Perhaps his saddest realization was that he might actually only belong in that dark world, more than the one Elsa was offering him.

Elsa pursed her lips impatiently. While she understood the loss of his magic took away one of the more extraordinary connections they had shared, it had been replaced with something so much more, something beyond ancient magic and fate. It wasn't the magic or the FireHeart that had forged her interest in him, but the noble heart she continued to champion. It was Yasha she had fallen in love with, though she was completely unsure how he would react to that fact, in light of the past they shared. Yet it was the reason she had to keep pressing him to stay near, even if she didn't the words to persuade him.

As a dangerous silence settled between them, he suddenly recoiled his hand, gasping in pain. A mark of red was on the edge of the ice sculpture and she could see the cut across his hand, which made her rush forward and take it with little regard for the tension in the atmosphere.

"Are you all right?" she asked, examining him. She had seen him hurt too much already and anything more would go beyond her ability to bear it.

His posture wavering, he looked past the wound, down to her concerned face. The touch of her hands was surprisingly warm, in spite of her cold powers, and he was far more interested in her than the pain. Her attention on the cut also waned as she realized she was holding his hand and her chest swelled under her dress. Her fingers dug softly into his skin. She couldn't retreat for a moment, but stared up at him with her red lips slightly parted in an airless pant. It was enchanting to be this close to him and hold even the smallest part of him in her hands.

Despite the cut, he slowly closed his hand around hers and tried to drown out the roar within his chest. Their entire path together had been a struggle against the heart, whether it be fire or flesh, and it was now him that felt unable to deal with the heart's whispers or its will, and the way she made him feel. A simple cut was meaningless in light of the way she tore through his chest and made him burn in ways he had never thought possible.

His voice came out heated and tense.

"It is nothing compared to losing one's heart."

Her smile blossomed at his response and his touch, though it quickly fell away against the intimate moment they had found, finally alone and without the world against them. If there was one thing she feared most of him now, it was his tongue, and she ironically agreed with one thing that Nazir had said - that Yasha had a way with words. Simply being able to hold his hand without the impetus of fate was enough to justify the fear she felt at being at his complete mercy.

Without thinking, she had already pushed up slightly onto her toes, looking up at him expectantly, with her lips quivering and her breath short.

In some distant reach of the castle, there was music slowly starting to rise. The floor trembled with the percussion of the evening and it began to intrude on their moment, much to their mutual dismay. The MidWinters Ball was coming together and the queen would soon be introduced.

The rhythm slowly dragged Elsa back from their isolated moment and she was overcome with panic, realizing that her assignment of forever had just been stolen away. Her eyes widened. "The ball! Oh, I have to go," she cried, tearing herself from his grasp and turning to flee, but then remembering the main reason she had come in the first place.

Stopping at the door, she placed her hand on the wood and paused. With a deep breath, she looked back to him, still trying to hide her flushed skin as she spoke.

"The MidWinters Ball. You'll attend, won't you?"

He opened his mouth to answer with a thousand other words to say, yet only one made it out against the beating of his heart.

"Yes."

Her mood sparkled. "I'm glad," she admitted, trying to force herself out the door.

"Elsa," he suddenly blurted, stopping her.

Hearing him use her name made a shiver run through her. Had she known the effect it would have on her, she wouldn't have been so eager for him start calling her by name.

"Yes?"

"My people have a tradition. If the heir of Fria were to attend such a celebration, he must be honored with the queen's first dance," he explained.

"It is an ancient tradition."

While suspecting that to be a lie, she let an enchanted breath escape her smiling lips, which she tried to hide with the top of her mask. Her blue eyes beckoned him and her hand moved gracefully down the edge of the door. "There's nothing to do then, if it's an ancient tradition," she said, accepting that tradition wholly within her heart. Her anticipation for it could barely be contained in the expression she showed him.

"Until then, King of the FireHeart," she called sweetly, using the title that should have caused him so much torment, yet seemed the only fitting way to address him.

Lingering only a moment more to appeal to him with her eyes, she then disappeared out the open door, her hand slipping out of sight with the slightest kiss of frost on the wood.

Yasha watched her leave, favoring the hand she had so warmly held. The words fell away to the way he longed for her and her scent as it hung in the air, making him look after her for far longer than was needed, though never felt like enough. Within his cursed life, he had never known romantic love, but this feeling consumed him, so much so that he feared losing control once more. Only the familiar sound of the flame was enough to break him from her spell and he felt himself drawn to it.

Turning towards the fireplace, he walked over to the coals and stared at them, his heart and his mind raging just as fiercely as the inferno before him. It was the one vice he would allow himself after years of trying to destroy the world around him.

He would allow himself to yearn for the Snow Queen.

Reaching his hand out, he felt the heat tearing away at the cut, but he didn't withdraw it. Instead, the flames began to stretch out towards him, swaying in a rhythmic dance, and his eyes glowed in their light. A mystical glow caressed his palm and the flames licked clean the wound on his hand, mending flesh and blood until the tear was gone. The magic then faded into the air in wisps of dying flares, taking any sign of its existence with them.

Yasha looked to his healed hand, then back to the coals. His eyes were glowing with secrets and fire.

"As of yet unworthy to be king. And of the FireHeart…" he whispered quietly, and then silenced all flame in the room to darkness with a quiet sweep of his hand.


	21. Afterword

**Afterword**

Thank you for reading The Snow Queen and the FireHeart!

If you've enjoyed the story, please read the others I've written in this series:

Frozen - A Sky Full Of Stars: A romance story about the trials Elsa and Yasha face upon returning to Arendelle and finding not everyone is as eager for their relationship to grow.

Frozen - Tales of the Heart: A series of short stories ranging from the first time Yasha met Hans to the antics of Elsa and Anna's children long after the original series has ended.

Frozen - Night Music of Arendelle: A sweet little short story about Elsa and a midnight attendant on the balcony of her chambers.

Frozen – Iceheart: The direct conclusion to the Snow Queen and the FireHeart. Torn by the disappearance of her fiancee, Elsa chases a shadow into the depths of the Arendelle castle, where she discovers an ancient mirror that carries Lind's voice and promises to reveal the origins of her icy powers.

I sincerely hope you'll enjoy the other tales from my own little Frozen universe.

Also please visit my DeviantArt page for the sketches and artwork I've done for SQ&amp;FH.

lee-sama . deviantart . com

LeGrande Grover


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